Warriors and Thieves
by Fujiko Kuwabara
Summary: Ex-martial artist Yamcha just realized that his life sucks - then he met a beautiful woman that changed it for the better. Master thief Lupin the 3rd has just heard about these seven magical orbs that grant one wish. Lupin the 3rd crossover - Enjoy!:D
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this is some little thing I got the idea for a while ago. I've never written a crossover before, hopefully this one will be good. A big special thanks to my Beta for this story - Tendo Rei! So, this is chapter one - I just want to see if anybody likes this before I update it first (if people _do_ like this, then I'll try to update it as much as I can (but it won't be an everyday thing (I've got school and _three_ other fics to finish up)). So, that being said - Enjoy!:D

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Yamcha sat, hunched over the bar counter, drink in hand. It was the middle of the afternoon, too early to be drinking but he had nothing else to do – he had just gotten fired.

In his mind, he kept replaying everything that had happened to him in his life; dropping out of high school, his days as a desert bandit, meeting Goku and Bulma, his doomed-from-the-beginning relationship with Bulma, getting his ass handed to him during the World Martial Arts Tournament (three times), dying while fighting the Saiyans, dying while fighting the Androids, being turned into chocolate then eaten by Buu. His life sucked and it seemed apparent to everyone but him up until that very moment.

He sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. He felt like such a tool.

"I feel like such a tool." He mumbled, pounding a fist lightly against the bar counter. "I'm almost forty and I've done _nothing_ with my life."

It was basically true, he hadn't done any of the things that he had promised himself he would. He had had a plan when he was younger, back when he thought he knew everything, and nothing had gone according to plan. For the longest time, he had been terrified of women, which put quite a damper on his plan of getting a girlfriend and getting married young and starting a family.

He had wanted to marry Bulma but he couldn't find the right ring for her (he was always afraid that if he picked one, Bulma would hate it and tell him to get another one) or he never had enough money. Then one day, out of nowhere, Vegeta had stolen her away from Yamcha. Technically, he didn't steal her – Bulma and Yamcha were 'taking a break' at the time.

"I . . . am a failure!" He sighed dramatically, resting his forehead against the palm of his hand. "I at least thought that I'd be married before Krillin!"

He tensed slightly upon hearing the door to the bar open then slowly relaxed, knowing that the person was obviously not going to come anywhere near him. Or so he thought.

He heard the barstool to his left squeeze under the weight of the person as they sat down. Yamcha wrinkled his nose, smelling the faint powdery smell of some kind of expensive French perfume.

"Is there a payphone near by? I need to call for a cab."

Yamcha straightened up a bit, hearing the voice of the woman next to him. He tried to look as if he wasn't interested and keep his gaze away from her.

"Payphone's broken." The bartender said gruffly, looking the woman up and down. "What're you doin' in a place like this, sweetheart?"

The woman gave the bartender a polite smile then spoke to him as if he were a four year old.

"I think I just said that I was looking for a payphone, _sweetheart_. I hardly think it's any of your business what I do and don't do."

Yamcha smirked at the slight catty tone in the woman's voice, it was something he kind of missed about being with Bulma – that tone always meant 'look, you better back off if you know what's good for you or else you might get a high heel through your forehead'.

"Like I said, the payphone's broken." The bartender repeated, shrugging. "Can I get you anything else, princess?"

"Water would be fine, thanks." Yamcha didn't have to look at the woman to tell that she was giving the bartender a disgusted look. "Hopefully, it's not laced with anything. And ice, please."

The bartender waddled off, mumbling under his breath as he went to get the woman her water. A minute, he returned with a clear glass of water and plopped it in front of the woman.

"Enjoy, princess."

"Thanks a bunch, doll." The woman said sarcastically as the bartender waddled off again.

In the corner of his eye, Yamcha could see the woman just staring at her water as if she were unsure whether or not to drink it. He turned and, for the first time since she walked in, got a good look at her.

She was a busty brunette with a very curvy body covered in a pale pink dress that stopped short right at the swell of her thigh with matching pumps and clutch purse.

One would think that Yamcha, being who he was, would giggle nervously and ogle an attractive woman like her but, given his circumstances at the moment, he just wasn't in the mood for it. He simply just wanted to start a little conversation, maybe even lift his spirit a bit.

"It's just tap water." He gave her a half smile. "It's not going to hurt you."

The woman looked up, startled by his voice and then of course by his scars. Then the woman relaxed and gave him a small polite smile before looking back down at her water.

"I'm not afraid of the water. Well, to be honest, I sort of am." She said softly as if she were telling him a secret. "I just have a lot on my mind."

She crossed her legs, turning towards him with a squeak from her stool as she lifted up her glass.

"This isn't going to kill me, is it? I mean, it's not going to mutate my children if I plan on having any in the future, will it?"

Yamcha let out a laugh but then stopped when he saw the serious look on the woman's face.

"Oh, sorry." He chuckled nervously. "I thought you were joking."

The woman gave him a long hard look for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed before her expression softened and a smile appeared.

"I was."

The two shared a laugh, not caring if people turned around to look back at them and give them dirty looks. Yamcha watched the woman as she took a sip of her water. He turned towards her and extended a hand.

"I'm Yamcha."

She smiled and took her hand in his.

"I'm Fujiko, nice to meet you."

"Wow, pretty name. You're not from around here, are you?"

"How could you tell?" She asked, tracing the rim of her glass with a manicured finger.

"It's pretty obvious, actually. Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh." She gestured with her hand. "All over, really."

"Oh, so you travel a lot?"

"You could say that." She smiled at him. "So, what about you? Tell me something interesting about you."

"Me?" He blinked, pointing to himself. "You wanna hear something about me?"

"Yeah, why so shocked?" She gave him a half shrug. "For once in my life, I don't feel like talking about myself."

Yamcha laughed, running a hand through his hair.

"You sound like an ex-girlfriend of mine."

"Oh, really? Thanks a lot." Fujiko said through a laugh.

"No, it's a compliment. I think."

"You think? Great!"

The two laughed again, a little louder than necessary. Yamcha ran a hand through his hair again, turning slightly on his barstool.

"I . . . just got fired."

Fujiko gave him a quizzical look, an eyebrow quirked. He shrugged and gave her a half smile.

"You wanted to know something interesting about me."

"Yeah, interesting. Not depressing, there's a difference."

"Oh, sorry."

"Why did you get fired? What did you do?"

Yamcha sighed and smirked, resting his chin in his hand.

"I got into a fight with this dumbass I worked with. He was saying some garbage about me stealing something. It's started as an argument then a shoving match then – get this – _he_ punched _me_ first. But, of course, my boss has to show up right as I'm punching the guy in the mouth."

"Wow, violent."

"Yeah, I know." He nodded.

He stopped and wondered if that was disapproval in her voice. He hoped that she didn't think lowly of him, as if he were some trashy redneck or something.

"I'm not a violent person." He said after a moment, hoping to save himself. "Really. I only fight if I need to."

"You sound like some kind of martial artist." She smiled at him, resting her arm on the counter.

"Well, I am. Or I was."

"Ooh, a big strong man. Your wife must be so proud."

"Oh, I'm not married!" He laughed, a blush forming across his face.

"Oh, well, your girlfriend then."

Yamcha laughed again, louder this time, his blush deepening.

"I don't have a girlfriend, either! I'm totally single – isn't that sad?"

He mentally kicked himself in the head at the 'totally single' comment he had just made. He hoped that he didn't sounded as if he were implying anything.

"Wow, who's the dumb bitch that let _you_ get away?" Fujiko asked, reaching for her glass.

Yamcha stared at her wide-eyed for a moment, wondering how Bulma would feel about Fujiko calling her a dumb bitch. He blinked then shook his head.

"It's a long, _long_ story." He said softly. "A long strange crazy story."

"I've got time." She shrugged. "Tell me about it."

"So, what about you?" He asked quickly, changing the subject. "I feel like I'm blabbing on and on about myself and you haven't said anything."

"Well . . ." She inhaled deeply through her mouth then shrugged. "I don't really want to talk about that."

"Well, why are you here? Besides trying to find a payphone."

"Some . . . friends of mine ditched me here."

"They ditched you?"

"Yeah, just pulled over onto the side of the road and kicked me out."

"Some friends." Yamcha muttered.

"They get like that." Fujiko muttered.

Simultaneously, the two lifted up their glasses and down the rest of their drinks, throwing their heads back dramatically. Their glasses clinked against the counter as they set them back down. The two of them were silent for a few minutes, staring at the counter with half-lidded eyes. They listened to the classic rock music playing from the jukebox in the corner of the room. Fujiko stood up, her stool squeaking as she did.

"I think I better get going." She said softly. "It was really nice meeting you."

"Yeah, you too." Yamcha stood, his stool creaking. "Here, let me walk you out."

"Oh, a gentleman, huh?" She joked, looking him up and down as he stood. "That's sweet of you, but really I'm okay."

"I insist." He gave her a quick smile before turning his gaze to the corner of the bar, his face and voice suddenly serious. "Besides, that guy over there has been checking you out the whole time you've been here. And not the good kind of checking out either."

"Oh, there's a good kind now?"

"Yeah, and he's definitely undressing you with his eyes."

Fujiko turned to look in the direction Yamcha was staring. She shivered slightly at the creepy look the man in the corner was giving her. She turned back to Yamcha.

"Maybe, you walking me to the door is a good idea." She said softly.

The two walked briskly to the door, falling into step with each other and looking as if they didn't want any trouble.

"Hey!" A deep gruff voice barked at them from the corner of the bar. They turned to see the big man who had been checking out Fujiko stand up and put his hands on his hips. He jerked his head towards them.

"Your girlfriend's a little cutie." He blew a kiss at her. "Hey, babe. Whenever you're tired of that lamebrain over there, I'll be right here."

"No thanks." Fujiko grimaced. "You're definitely _not_ my type. Lose a couple tons _then_ get back to me."

Yamcha covered his mouth to keep a laugh from escaping. The big man in the corner glared at Fujiko. He kicked a chair out of his way then began walking over to them.

"What did you say to me, you little bitch?" He spat when he was halfway to them.

"Oh, morbidly obese _and_ deaf. How fun!" Fujiko jeered, putting her hands on her hips. "Do you need me to spell it out for you, tubby? I. Am. Not. Interested."

"Why, you little cu-"

Yamcha stepped in between Fujiko and the man as the man took a few steps closer to them.

"Hey, look. We were just leaving." Yamcha said firmly. "We don't want any trouble."

"You better tell your woman to watch her mouth if she knows what's good for her." The man snapped.

"Or what?" Fujiko asked, standing on her toes to get a better look at the man over Yamcha's shoulders. "You're not gonna hit me, are you? I'd like to see you try!"

"That's it, you –"

Everything happened to quickly then; the man lunged forward, trying to grab at Fujiko, Yamcha grabbed the man by the arm and flipped him over onto his back just as Fujiko pulled her gun out her purse, aiming at the man. Everyone in the bar gasped, their eyes wide.

"She's gotta gun!" Someone shouted.

Yamcha spun his head towards Fujiko to see her holding her gun tightly in her hands.

"Get her outta here!" The bartender shouted at Yamcha.

Fujiko blinked, looking as if she just realized what she had just done, then put her gun away. Yamcha turned her around then guided her out of the bar, the door slamming behind them.

"You didn't tell me you had a gun!" Yamcha exclaimed, his voice shrill.

"You never asked!" She sighed, moving her hair out of her face.

The sky turned a dark gray color and it began to sprinkle. The two looked up at the sky, squinting and blinking when the rain hit their faces. Yamcha looked down at Fujiko, who was holding herself to keep warm. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it on her shoulders. She smiled up at him, silently thanking him.

"Here." Yamcha took his cell phone out of his pants pocket and handed it to her. "Call a cab."

"Thanks, you're sweet." She said, flipping his phone open and dialing 411 then putting the phone to her ear. "Hello? I need the number for a cab company . . . City?"

She looked up at Yamcha, her eyes asking the question.

"Satan City."

She gave him a strange look and he lifted his arms up in a shrug. She repeated his words into the phone then was quiet for a moment while she was being redirected. Yamcha stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently as Fujiko called for a cab. The rain was pouring down, drenching his clothes.

She hung up the phone a minute later and handed it back to him, giving him a small smile.

"Thanks so much."

"It's no problem, really." He chuckled, running a hand through his wet hair. "Do you mind if I stay with you until your cab comes?"

"Yeah, sure." She adjusted the jacket on her shoulders, slipping her arms through the sleeves. "This is a nice jacket."

"Thanks."

There was an awkward silence between the two as they stood waiting in the downpour. They watched as cars sped by, splashing up puddles, their headlights the only lights Yamcha and Fujiko could see. Yamcha was glad for the white long sleeved shirt he was wearing; it wasn't much but it kept him from freezing.

Fujiko wiggled her nose and let out a sneeze. Yamcha gave her a sideways glance, not moving his head. He took a step to the side, stepping closer to her, and put his arm around her. She looked up and him and he felt his face flush a bit.

"I'm, uh, just trying to keep you warm." He chuckled nervously.

"Oh," Fujiko leaned closer to him, trying to get warm. "Does it always rain like this?"

"No, not always. It's weird." He shrugged. "This weekend's supposed to be sunny."

The two squinted as they saw headlights coming towards them. Simultaneously, they let out a relieved sigh as the cab pulled over in front of them. Yamcha let go of Fujiko and went over to the cab, opening the door for her.

"Thank you." She said softly, stepping in. "What a gentleman."

She stopped and the two looked at each other; her hand on the cab's inside handle, his hands on the window and on the outside handle. Something happened between them; something they couldn't see but could definitely feel. It was like a blue electric shock.

"Maybe, I'll see you around." Yamcha said softly.

"Maybe you will." Fujiko said before getting into the car.

Yamcha closed the door and watched the cab drive off. He sneezed, folding his arms over his chest to keep warm, then turned and headed to his car. A nice hot shower sounded really good to him right at that moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, wow, no reviews so far for this story, eh? Hmm . . . Was the first chapter not good enough or something? Well, check out chapter two! Maybe that'll change your minds. Oh, wow, I sound desperate for reviews, don't I? That wasn't intentional, I swear. Again, BIG thanks to my Beta Tendo Rei! So, anyway, Enjoy!:D

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Fujiko woke up to the smell of an unfamiliar men's cologne. She opened her eyes to see she was an inch away from the wall in the fetal position.

She rolled over onto her back and sat up then looked around the small hotel room, taking it all in. She grimaced; it was nothing compared to the luxurious five-star hotels she was used to staying in. She shivered, noticing that she had slept in her clothes. She hadn't slept under the blankets either, but under a man's yellow suit jacket.

"I forgot I took his jacket." She said quietly, carefully picking it up and gently folding it.

There was a knock at the door and she jumped. Cautiously, she got up and went to the door, looking through the peephole to see who it was first. She sighed exasperatedly and opened the door to let Lupin bounce in.

"Hello, Fujiko!" He greeted, flopping down onto the bed.

"What do you want?" She asked, closing the door. "How did you find me?"

"I have my ways, Fuji." Lupin sat up and noticed the yellow suit jacket. He looked at her with an eyebrow quirked. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, I'm alone. What do you want?" She repeated.

"Look, I'm sorry, you should come back."

"You three kicked me out of the car while it was moving!"

"That was all Jigen's idea, I swear."

Lupin got up and went to her. He smiled down at her and put his hands on her upper arms, rubbing them slowly as if trying to warm her.

"Come on, Fuji." He said softly, getting closer to her. "Come back with us. We're going to India, there's this ruby and –"

"No." She slapped his hands away from her and took a step back.

"What?"

"You said that I was just a stupid slut getting on all of your nerves and I wasn't doing anything productive except being negative."

"No, no, no. You don't understand. We were just frustrated, we weren't _mad_ at you. We _need_ you. _I _need you."

"You need me?" Fujiko scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know what you need me for! And you can just forget it!"

"But Fujicakes!" Lupin whined, grabbing his hair. "We need you, babe!"

"You don't need me! I'm not going to do whatever it is you want me to. I'm sorry, Lupin, but I want you to leave."

Lupin sighed and went to the door. He reached for the doorknob but stopped and turned around to look at her.

"What if I gave you the ruby?"

Fujiko was quiet for a moment, crossing her arms under her chest.

"How big is it?"

"The size of your fist."

Fujiko flung her arms around Lupin's neck and nuzzled him, covering the side of his face with kisses. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, stealing a kiss from her. She jerked away from him suddenly and smoothed out her clothes. She cleared her throat.

"Do you have my stuff?" She asked, pushing him away.

"It's in the car. I'll go get it and you can get ready. Then we can leave."

"Wait." She stopped him as he opened the door. "There's something I have to do first. Just drop my stuff off then give me an hour, okay?"

"An hour? What do you have to do?"

"I have to return something to someone." She gave him a half shrug and a smile. "I'll call you when I'm done, okay?"

Yamcha turned his head, groaning in his sleep. His right leg and arm hung off the side of his bed. He was so tired and sore. His body felt as if a semi-truck had plowed right into him then backed up and ran over him again.

He had taken the long way home, thinking that it would get his mind off of things. As he had turned down a dirt road, his car had ran out of gas and at that point, it was dark outside and the downpour had turned into a full-blown storm. Reluctantly, he had gotten out of his car and walked six miles back the way he had come, remembering that there had been a gas station that he had passed earlier.

He had gotten home late to a worried Puar. She had flown around him in circles, checking him over to see if he was okay. After reassuring her that he was fine and just had a bad day, she left him alone and he went to his room to take a long hot shower. After that, Yamcha had flopped down onto his bed on his back and fallen asleep.

"Yamcha, Yamcha!" Puar squealed from outside his bedroom door. "There's someone at the door, asking for you!"

Yamcha groaned again and rolled over onto his side. He opened his eyes to see the sun glaring through his window. He blinked and squinted then rolled out of bed, thinking it was weird that he had woken up on the right side of the bed when he usually slept on the left with his back against the wall. He tugged on the boxers and undershirt that he wore the day before, still half asleep. He scratched his head and yawned as he left his bedroom and walked into the small living room. He stopped in his tracks, seeing Fujiko at the door with his jacket folded over her arm. She smiled at him and tilted her head slightly to the side, a few strands of her hair falling on her face.

"Hi." She said, moving the hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

A million thoughts ran through Yamcha's head as he stared at Fujiko with his mouth agape, his tanned face turning a pale pink color from embarrassment.

"_How did she find me? I'm standing in my underwear . . . I just woke up . . . I haven't brushed my teeth yet . . . I bet I smell pretty rank right about now . . . I should say something._"

He closed his mouth and cleared his throat.

"Hi."

"I just wanted to return your jacket." Fujiko gestured to the yellow suit jacket draped over her arm. "I forgot to give it back to you before I got into the cab last night."

"Oh, thanks." Yamcha's mouth felt dry. "Uhm, just wait a minute, I'll be right back."

"Oh, go ahead."

Yamcha walked back into his room briskly, closing the door behind him. He rested against the door, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum. He gulped and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and steady his breathing.

"Okay, settle down, Yamcha." He said to himself in a low voice. "Just calm down and get dressed. Just . . . calm down and get dressed."

He went to his dresser and yanked open the drawers to pull out clean boxers and an undershirt. He turned to his left and flung open his closet door. He grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans then went to his bathroom to finish getting ready.

"Would you like anything?" Puar asked, getting Fujiko's attention.

Fujiko blinked and sat down at the small dining table, shaking her head.

"Oh, no thank you."

"Are you sure?" Puar asked, flying over to the refrigerator. "We have orange juice."

"No offense, but I'm think I'm going crazy." Fujiko stared at Puar, who stared back at her.

"Why?"

"Well, I don't know what's crazier – that you're flying, that you're talking or that you're blue."

"Do you want me to turn into something else?" Puar cocked her head to the side.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm a shape shifter!" Puar exclaimed, grinning widely.

"Oh, now I've seen it all."

After getting dressed, Yamcha took a few minutes to brush and style his hair before spritzing some cologne on his body. He brushed his teeth then smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He left his bathroom to put on his shoes then left his room to see Fujiko staring at Puar, who sat on the kitchen table giggling at the expression on Fujiko's face. Yamcha cleared his throat, getting their attention. Fujiko smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile himself.

"Uhm, if you don't mind me asking," He scratched the back of his head. "How did you find me?"

"I looked you up in the phonebook in the hotel room I stayed in last night. You weren't hard to find."

"Oh, uhm." Yamcha could feel his face become hot. "Uh, would you like to go grab a coffee or something?"

"I don't know," She smiled politely. "I already had breakfast and I'm supposed to be leaving soon."

"Oh, okay." Yamcha wondered if he had heard a slight sadness in his voice. "Thanks for returning my jacket."

"Oh, no problem."

Fujiko got up and went to the door. She stopped, her hand on the doorknob. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned her head towards Yamcha.

"Coffee does sound good. The kind they had at the hotel tasted funky."

Lupin hung outside his car window as they drove on, sighing sadly. He sounded pathetic.

"I can't believe you." Jigen grumbled, his cigarette at his lips. "We didn't need her. You know what's going to happen."

"Oh, come off it, Jigen!" Lupin sighed again. "I miss her. You have to admit that having her around is pretty fun sometimes."

"No. Never. Everything is a lot better when she's nowhere near us."

"I'm going to have to agree with Jigen." Goemon nodded from the back seat. "We do work better without her."

"Well, if one of _you_ wants to dress up in drag to distract the security guards then _go right ahead_!" Lupin snapped, glaring at them. "We need her."

"No, _you_ need her, Lupin!" Jigen shot back, turning a corner. "And if she doesn't call soon, we're going to miss our plane to India."

Lupin jumped, feeling his phone vibrate in his pants pocket. He gave Jigen a look then took the phone out and flipped it open.

"Hello, Fuji-wuji." Lupin's cocky smirk faded. "You're what? What do you mean? Fujiko! Come on, we need you! I thought if I gave you the ruby, you'd come!"

"What?" Jigen growled, slamming on the brakes and making the car skid to a halt. He turned to glare at Lupin. "What did you just say?"

Lupin waved a hand at him, telling him to be quiet and went back to his conversation with Fujiko.

"What do you mean 'you're not coming'?"

"Good riddance." Jigen mumbled.

"Jigen, do me a favor and shut the hell up." Lupin snapped, glaring at his friend. "Fujiko, please change your mind. We're not leaving without you."

"The hell we aren't!" Jigen sat up straight. "I'm leaving to India, with or without that bitch!"

"Jigen, I said shut up!"

"No, that's crap! Lupin, we don't need her, we can do this on our own!"

"Jigen, I swear to God if you don't shut up . . ." Lupin said through clenched teeth. "Fujiko, I don't want to leave without you."

Fujiko sighed and looked back into coffee shop to see Yamcha ordering at the counter. He turned to look at her through the window and the two smiled at each other.

"Lupin, just go ahead without me . . ." She sighed again, running her hand through her hair. "Okay, fine. Meet me at the airport, I'll be there in a few minutes."

She hung up the phone and went back inside. She saw Yamcha sitting at a table at the back of the coffee shop, his shoulders hunched and his back towards her. She smiled to herself then sauntered over to him and put a hand on his shoulder; she could feel the muscles in his shoulder tense as he sat up and looked at her.

"Hi," She said before she sat down across from him. "How're you doing?"

Yamcha seemed to relax and he faked a smile as he shrugged.

"I'm all right, I guess." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "How about you?"

"I'm good," She shrugged. "After this, I have to catch a plane to India."

"India? Why India? You going on a trip or something?"

"You could say that. My friends are taking me."

"The ones that kicked you out of the car?"

"Yeah. One of my friends dropped by my hotel room this morning to apologize."

"How'd they find you? Did you call them?"

"Oh, no. He has his ways."

"Sounds like an controlling boyfriend who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'no'."

"Oh, he's not like that." Fujiko shook her head. "Trust me."

Yamcha nodded, looking at the table. The two were quiet, only speaking to thank the waitress as she brought them their drinks. Fujiko held her hot coffee in her hands, trying to warm them. Yamcha seemed distracted by something.

"We're not together." Fujiko stated, catching Yamcha's attention. "The one you said that was like an controlling boyfriend . . . he and I aren't together."

"Oh, okay." Yamcha took a sip of his coffee, looking at Fujiko over the protective lid. "Has anyone ever told you that you should be a model?"

"Yeah," Fujiko lifted her coffee to her lips. "Men trying to get in my pants."

Yamcha choked on his coffee and spit some out onto the table. He grabbed a handful of napkins as he went into a coughing fit. Fujiko gasped, a surprised look on her face. People looked back at them, wondering what was going on at the table in the corner at the back of the coffee shop.

"Are you okay?" Fujiko asked as Yamcha wiped his mouth then wiped the table with the napkins.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, I'm good." He nodded, laughing a little as his coughing fit began to die down. "I just wasn't expecting that answer, it caught me off guard."

"I am so sorry."

"No, really. It's okay." He smirked at her. "Just want you to know that I was being serious and I wasn't trying to get in your pants."

"Oh, well, that's good to know." Fujiko laughed then was quiet a minute. "Is this a date?"

Yamcha almost choked again. He covered his mouth with his hand and swallowed the new gulp of hot coffee he had just taken, the dark liquid scalding the inside of his mouth and throat. Yamcha tittered.

"Do . . . do you want it to be?"

Fujiko thought for a moment then smiled, half-shrugging. She leaned closer to him.

"To be honest, just a little."

Yamcha blushed then cleared his throat. He leaned a little closer to her and smiled.

"Well, since we're being honest, so do I."

Fujiko reached for his hand that rested on the table. Yamcha watched her play with his fingers then looked back at her, cautiously entwining his fingers with hers. She looked up at him and the two made eye contact. They felt that electrical spark from the night before again; they knew that there was definitely something between them. Simultaneously, the two squeezed each other's hand.

"Tell me about yourself." Yamcha said, keeping eye contact with her.

"You don't want to know about me." Fujiko shook her head, hair falling in her face.

"Yes, I do."

Yamcha reached over and moved her hair back, tucking it behind her ear gently. She leaned into his touch, which surprised him and made him take his hand away.

"I don't want to talk about myself, Yamcha." She picked up her coffee with her free hand and took a sip. "I want to hear about you."

Yamcha shrugged.

"My favorite color is blue, I live with a shape shifting cat, I used to be a mechanic until I got fired. But you already know all that stuff, don't you?"

He smirked as he leaned back in his chair again. Fujiko let out a little laugh.

"I didn't know your favorite color was blue or that you were a mechanic."

"Well, you do now."

"What else?"

Yamcha blinked.

"What do you mean 'what else'?"

"Just that, tell me something else about you."

He was quiet, scrunching his face a little in thought. Fujiko looked at her coffee cup, reading what it said on the sleeve.

"I used to be a desert bandit." Fujiko put her cup down.

"What?"

"When I was about sixteen or seventeen. That was how I met my ex-girlfriend."

Fujiko rested her chin in her hand, watching Yamcha and listening intently to his story about becoming a desert bandit and meeting Goku and Bulma and Oolong and about the Dragonballs. Fujiko stopped him there, holding her hand up to silence him.

"The dragon what?"

"Dragonballs. You never heard of them?"

"Apparently not."

"Well, there are seven of these little orange balls with red stars on them, you gather all of them and summon the dragon and he grants any wish you want."

"Any wish?" She repeated, a delicately plucked eyebrow quirked.

"Any wish." Yamcha nodded.

"Tell me more about them."

"That's basically it, Fujiko."

"There has to be more."

"That's it, I swear." Yamcha glanced at her watch. "What time did you need to catch your plane?"

Fujiko looked at her watch; she was supposed to be at the airport in six minutes. She took her hand from Yamcha's and stood, grabbing her purse.

"I have to make a phone call."

"If you need a ride to the airport, I can take you. I don't want you to spend all your money on a cab."

"I'm not going to the airport, I'm staying here." She said, walking away from her chair.

"Hold on a minute." Yamcha caught her by the wrist. "What do you mean you're staying here?"

Fujiko looked into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. He looked confused and surprised; his eyes sparkled with curiosity. He slowly let go of her wrist, his eyes locked on hers.

"I don't want to go to India anymore." She said faintly, a slight smile on her face. "There's something more important for me here in Satan City."

Yamcha blinked then blushed, turning away to look down at the table.

"Oh, I see."

"I'll be right back." She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "I swear it won't take more than five minutes."

Yamcha bolted into an upright position when Fujiko kissed him on the cheek. He looked back at her as she walked away from him, taking out her phone from her purse. He watched her walk, watching her swing her hips as she left the coffee shop. He let out a loud nervous laugh.

Lupin heard his phone ring and took it out of his pants pocket.

"Fujiko, where are you?" He asked, his voice low with frustration. "The plane leaves in two minutes!"

He was quiet for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing as he listened to Fujiko on the other line.

"What!" Lupin exclaimed, jumping up from his seat in the airport. "Why not? Something more important that the ruby, huh? What is it, a giant mall?"

He sat back down, crossing his legs. He let out a condescending laugh.

"The dragon what?" He laughed again but stopped short when Fujiko continued. "They do what? Grant a wish? Oh, wow, Fujiko! I could kiss you right now if you were here! Go back to your hotel room, we'll meet you there!"

He hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket just as Jigen and Goemon approached him with their suitcases. He jumped back up and grabbed his stuff.

"The trip to India's cancelled, boys!" He exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. "There's something more important than that stupid ruby!"

"Like what?" Jigen grumbled, lifting his fedora an inch to get a better look at Lupin.

"Dragonballs!" Lupin shouted, rushing towards the doors of the airport. "C'mon, I'll explain in the car!"

Jigen and Goemon looked at each other and shrugged then followed Lupin out to the car.

Fujiko hung up her phone and put it back in her purse just as Yamcha was coming out of the coffee shop. He blushed when she smiled at him.

"Hi." He stammered. "Uhm, where did you want to go now?"

"Back to my hotel room, if that's okay."

Yamcha gulped, his eyes wide.

"_Did she just say her room?_" He thought. "_She doesn't mean . . . does she??_"

"I have to meet my friends there for a few minutes."

Yamcha face faulted when Fujiko's back was turned. He jumped up as she made her way to his car, calling over her shoulder.

"Come on, Yamcha!"

He followed after her like a lost puppy. He approached the driver's side of the car and fumbled with his keys to get the doors unlocked. Finally, when he did, he jogged over to Fujiko's side and opened the door for her and helped her in.

"What a gentleman." She said to him before he closed her door.

"I try my best." He said as he got in on his side and started the car. "So, where are you staying?"

"Satan City Hotel." She grimaced, remembering the room she had stayed in the night before.

"Classy place." Yamcha nodded as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"I've seen better." Fujiko stated, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Yamcha gave her a sideways glance then turned back to the road. They were silent the rest of the way there. He pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and stopped in front of the double doors that lead into the lobby. He turned the car off and leaned back into his seat before turning his head to look at her. Fujiko saw him staring at her in the corner of her eye and turned to look at him.

"Can . . . can I see you again?" He stammered out.

"When?" Fujiko asked, her voice coming breathless.

"Tonight?" Yamcha said quickly as if she would change her mind before he said anything.

"I'd love to." She smiled at him. "I really do like spending time with you, Yamcha. You seem like a really great guy."

He gulped; he hated that after all these years he was still a little afraid of women. Fujiko leaned over and kissed his cheek. This time, Yamcha didn't freak out, he just sat with his back pressed hard against the driver's seat with his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles turned white. Fujiko grabbed his hand and took out a pen from her purse.

"This," She said, writing on his palm, "is my cell phone number. Don't lose it. Call me when you come to pick me up."

Fujiko opened the passenger side door and took a step out.

"Wait!" Yamcha said, making her turn to look at him. "What . . . what time should I pick you up?"

She smiled at him.

"Seven thirty."

He smirked and nodded.

"Classic." He tapped on the steering wheel, suddenly able to relax around her. "It's a date."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before a cab behind Yamcha honked at them, startling them. Fujiko got out of the car and threw one more look at him before closing the door and entering the hotel. Yamcha started the car and left the parking lot, a wide grin on his face – for the first time in years, he had a date! A real official date!

"Things are lookin' up for you, buddy." He said to his reflection in the rearview mirror.


	3. Chapter 3

Ha, so this story only has two reviews so far (one was received as an PM) and hopefully, after _this_ chapter there will be more reviews. BIG thanks to my Beta, Tendo Rei! So, enjoy!:D

* * *

Fujiko watched Yamcha leave the parking lot of the hotel, slowing to a stop in front of the elevator. She absent-mindedly reached out and pushed the 'up' button, watching Yamcha drive away. She swore she saw him turn his head and look back at her for a split second. She kept her eyes on Yamcha's little yellow car until it drove out of sight. The _ding!_ of the elevator snapped her out of her trance and she turned to see the doors open and Lupin, Jigen and Goemon standing in front of her. Her eyes widened with surprise and she gasped as Lupin reached out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her into the elevator.

"Lupin, what the hell?" She exclaimed, her words rushing together as she regained her balance.

"You're on the fourth floor, right?" Lupin smirked at her, winking as his finger hovered over the floor buttons.

"Sixth." Fujiko answered, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Sixth." Lupin repeated, nodding as he jabbed at the sixth floor button. "So, who was that guy you were with, Fujicakes?"

Fujiko faltered and blinked. She looked from Goemon to Jigen to Lupin.

"Huh?"

"That guy you were with?" Lupin said again. "The guy with the car? What's that all about?"

"Oh, he's . . . just a guy I met." She shrugged. "Just a friend."

"Just a friend, huh?" Lupin clicked his tongue, a look on his face as if he were amused. "And where did you meet him?"

"Yesterday." Fujiko straightened up, clearing her throat. "He's the one that told me about the Dragonballs."

"Can someone please tell me what the hell Dragonballs are?" Jigen grumbled. "They sound disgusting. I'm not touching a dragon's downstairs for anything!"

"Jigen, shut up." Fujiko and Lupin said together, glancing back at him before looking back at each other.

"I've done some research on these Dragonballs." Lupin said, keeping eye contact with Fujiko as he slowly licked his lips. "They're scattered all over the place."

Fujiko was quiet; her eyes locked to Lupin's.

"Okay, I'm going to ask again –"

"They are seven magical orbs, Jigen." Lupin said, his tone frustrated. "They are seven magical numbered little orange orbs that, when you get all of them together, you call up the Eternal Dragon and he grants one wish. Then the balls are scattered all over again and become inert for one year."

Lupin turned to Jigen, giving him a wide grin.

"Happy?"

"We're ditching India for that?" Jigen rolled his eyes. "We don't know where to look first and it'll probably take forever to find them all."

Lupin spun around to face Fujiko again.

"Does your 'friend' know how to find them?"

She shrugged. She suddenly felt uncomfortable talking to Lupin about Yamcha.

"I don't know, maybe."

"So, this whole thing's gonna be like some giant Easter egg hunt!" Jigen groaned.

"Shut up, Jigen." Lupin said, glancing back at Jigen then back at Fujiko. "When's the next time you're gonna see this guy?"

"Yamcha." She said flatly.

"Pardon?"

"His name is Yamcha."

"Yam Cha?" Goemon finally spoke up. "Like dim sum?"

"I don't know what his name means, Goemon." Fujiko said snottily. "And it's all one word."

"So, when's the next time you're going to see 'Yamcha'?"

"Tonight." She said quietly. "He asked me out."

"Ooh, like a date?" Lupin giggled his eyebrows. "All right, that's perfect. Okay, so we'll hide a mike on you to see if he says something and –"

"No!" Fujiko snapped. "You are not bugging me! I'm not going to do that."

"Why not?" Lupin huffed. "Do you want to find the Dragonballs or not?"

"I do!" She stammered, taking a step back. "I just don't see why you insist on bugging me and intruding on my privacy! I can do it myself, without a mike!"

Lupin was quiet, letting her words sink in. Then he blinked. Something flashed in his eyes and before Fujiko could say anything, the doors opened on the sixth floor. Lupin gave her a look, tilting his head to the side.

"Ladies first." He said, his tone in his voice indescribable.

She turned her head, breaking eye contact with him as she stepped out of the elevator. She could feel Lupin staring at her as they made their way to Fujiko's hotel room. Awkwardly, she took her room key out of her purse. She watched her hand shake as she tried to unlock the door, starting when she felt Lupin's arm around her waist. Lupin slid his hand down Fujiko's arm then took a hold of her hand in his; steadying it and helping her unlock the door.

"There we go." He said in her ear.

Fujiko gulped, her body tensing. She jerked free from Lupin and opened the door, almost running into the room. She slammed the door on the three men before they had a chance to enter.

****

Yamcha whistled to himself as he entered his apartment. There was a spring in his step and a slight smile on his face as he danced around the small living room. Puar flew in, a worried look on her face.

"Yamcha!" She squeaked. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, Puar, I'm fine." He chuckled, grabbing the flying blue cat and pulling her into a hug. "I'm just in a really good mood."

Puar smiled and struggled to break free from Yamcha's arms. She floated by his head, following him as he went to his bedroom.

"You have a date, don't you, Yamcha?" She asked, watching him fling the door to his closet open. "You only act like this when you have a date."

Yamcha's smile widened and he turned back to look at Puar.

"Indeed, I do, little lady!"

"Oh, Yamcha!" Puar clapped. "It's so good to see you happy again!"

Yamcha laughed and picked out his clothes, laying them out on his bed.

"It's good to _be_ happy again, Puar." He stood and looked at his hand. "Hey, can you grab me a piece of paper and a pen?"

"Sure!" Puar chirped, flying out of the room. She flew back into the room, holding a notepad and a pen to her chest, a wide smile on her face. "Here you go, Yamcha!"

"Thanks." He took them from her and proceeded to write Fujiko's number down. He ripped the note from the pad and waved it in the air, smirking at Puar. "I don't wanna lose this!"

"I'll put it by the phone!" Puar suggested, hovering in the air happily. "It's that woman who came over earlier, isn't it? What's her name?"

"Fujiko." Yamcha felt a flutter in his chest when he said her name; it just rolled off his tongue. "Fujiko Mine."

"She's very pretty, Yamcha." Puar pointed out before taking the sticky note and flying out of the room.

There was something in the tone of Puar's voice that made Yamcha pause. He wasn't sure what it was – jealousy? Anger? No. Puar couldn't be jealous or angry, she was just happy for him a moment ago. The tone in her voice was warning, as if she were telling him 'don't mess this up, Yamcha'.

He shook his head, telling himself that he had just imagined the tone in her voice and that she was truly happy for him. He shrugged and made his way to his bathroom to take a shower.

****

Fujiko stood in front of the mirror in her hotel room, leaning over the counter to get a better look at herself as she applied her make-up. After putting on red lipstick, she smiled then blew a kiss at her reflection. She glanced at her watch and felt an uneasy, nervous flip in the pit of her stomach; it was getting closer to the time Yamcha was supposed to pick her up.

She hadn't felt nervous about going out with someone since high school. She took a few deep breaths, smoothing out the black slinky dress she wore.

"Okay, Fujiko, you can do this." She said to her reflection. "There's no need to act this way. It's just a man. Just a . . . very sexy man."

She let out a startled yelp when she heard her cell phone ringing from its spot on the bed. She padded over to the bed and picked up the phone, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she saw the unfamiliar number in the caller id. She pressed 'talk' and put the phone to her ear, the feeling of nervousness growing.

"Hello?"

"H-hey, Fujiko? It's Yamcha."

"Oh," She tried to sound casual, nonchalant. "Hi."

"Hi. Uhm, I'm on my way there so, uhm, if you could meet me in the lobby, that'd be great."

"Okay," She nodded to herself, the feeling of butterflies in her stomach almost making her nauseous. "I'll be waiting."

"Okay, seeya in five."

Fujiko hung up the phone and slipped it into her purse. She slid her feet into her black high heels and took one last look in the mirror then scanned around the room, checking to see if she had forgotten anything. She grabbed her jacket and left, sneaking out of her room as if she were a teenager going out her bedroom window in the middle of the night. She quickly walked passed the room Lupin was staying in and took the stairs in an attempt to avoid running into him in the elevator. She did not want to talk to him; he had been acting strange ever since the incident earlier. She stopped as she got to the last step, her foot a few inches above the red and gold carpeting of the hotel lobby.

In the far corner of the room Goemon sat cross-legged on a plush red loveseat, his eyes closed. Fujiko's stomach flipped; wherever Jigen and Goemon were, Lupin wasn't that far behind. She looked around the lobby cautiously before making her way over to Goemon. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She smiled and he nodded a hello to her as she sat down on the matching plush red chair in front of him.

"Where's Lupin?" She asked, again trying to sound casual.

"He and Jigen went to a bar across town," He answered, closing his eyes again. "They won't be back for a few hours."

"You decided not to go with them?"

"I'm not one for drinking." He opened one eye and looked at her. "You know that."

"Then why are you down here?"

"It's too quiet in the room." He said flatly, opening his other eye. "Waiting for your date?"

"Yes, my date with dim sum." She joked, nodding slightly.

Goemon chuckled and relaxed, stretching out his legs. Fujiko leaned into the soft upholstery of the chair and looked out the large window of the lobby, looking for Yamcha's car. She glanced down at her watch then looked at Goemon, smiled at him then looked out the window again.

"Nervous?" He asked, after the fourth time she did it.

Fujiko's head spun to look at him, her eyes wide. She moved a strand of hair out of her face and tried to regain her normal composure.

"No, of course not." She lied. "Why would I? This is . . . I'm trying . . . This is all for the Dragonballs."

Goemon stared at her intently, his eyes narrowing slowly as if he were trying to read her. She gulped and jerked her attention to the window to see a red sports car that hadn't been there before, parked right in front of the building. The butterfly doors to the car opened and out stepped Yamcha, dressed in black slacks and a dark blue button up shirt. Fujiko bit her lip, suddenly sitting up straight as he entered the hotel through the revolving doors. She stood when the two of them made eye contact. Yamcha's face lit up when he saw Fujiko, he smiled and walked briskly to her. Fujiko met him half way, stopping only a foot in front of him.

"Hi." She said, her voice barely audible.

"Hi." He echoed back, his voice almost a whisper.

He looked her up and down; his eyes glinting and his mouth open slightly.

"I . . . you look beautiful." He said, sounding breathless.

"Thank you."

Goemon looked from Yamcha to Fujiko then cleared his throat. The two jerked, startled, and turned to look at Goemon. Fujiko's cheeks blushed a pale rose.

"Uhm, Yamcha, this is . . . is my friend, Goemon." She said, gesturing to Goemon.

Goemon stood and bowed before Yamcha. Yamcha scratched the back of his head before bowing slightly to Goemon.

"Uh, nice to meet you." He mumbled, standing back up.

Goemon's eyes flickered, as he looked Yamcha up and down quickly. Yamcha blinked and gulped, turning back to Fujiko. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the look Goemon was giving him.

"We should probably get going, Fujiko." He said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"All right." Fujiko picked up her jacket and purse from the chair then wiggled her fingers in a small wave at Goemon. "Seeya later, Goemon."

Goemon mumbled a goodbye then watched them leave the lobby. He watched the butterfly doors to the red sports car open and Yamcha help Fujiko into the passenger seat before jogging around the car and getting into the driver's seat, the doors closing after him. Goemon turned away and took the elevator up to the sixth floor. He glanced behind him once or twice as he walked down the hall. He stopped at the door to Lupin's room and knocked. The door opened and Jigen stood there, cigarette at his lips. He moved out of the way to let Goemon in, closing the door behind him.

"Well, that was a waste." Lupin muttered from his seat at the small table, turning off the small radio next to him. "Neither of them said anything important or useful."

Goemon ripped the securely hidden microphone from his person and threw it onto the table.

"I'm not doing that ever again." He stated firmly.

"Good, you don't need to." Lupin answered crisply, putting an unlit cigarette to his lips. He picked up Jigen's lighter off the table and cupped his hand around the lighter and cigarette, a serious look on his face as he lit it. He look a long drag smirked. "We'll just get Jigen to do it next time."

"Like hell we will!" Jigen retorted gruffly, appearing next to Goemon. "I can't stand that woman."

"We know." Lupin smirked, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

"This isn't a good idea." Goemon said, his voice still firm. "We should stop where we are right now. Let's forget about the Dragonballs and go to India."

"Like hell we will!" Lupin echoed, standing up. "This is too great of a chance to pass up! Think about it, Goemon – immortality, all the riches in the world!"

"I don't _want_ immortality."

"What's got your panties in a bunch all of a sudden?" Jigen asked, sitting down at the other chair on the other side of the table. "What the hell happened down in the lobby? Fujiko's date that intimidating?"

"He's not like a normal human being." Goemon said through gritted teeth. "This is a bad idea and I refuse to take any more part in it!"

Goemon turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door louder than necessary. Lupin and Jigen blinked then looked at each other.

"Wha . . . not normal?" Lupin scratched the back of his head. "What do you think he meant by that?"

"Maybe, he's hideously disfigured or something." Jigen shrugged, stubbing out his cigarette in the clear ashtray in front of him. "Maybe, he's a werewolf!"

Lupin laughed out loud, tossing his head back.

"Yeah, that's probably it!"

****

Fujiko gripped onto the door handle tightly, her eyes wide with fear as she looked out the windshield. The car was in the air, _flying_ in the air. It had taken off quickly, roaring like a jet engine as it zoomed out of the hotel parking lot. Fujiko hadn't felt so terrified in her entire life!

Yamcha blinked and glanced at her, seeing her press herself against the car door.

"Hey, what's wrong? You look scared."

"We're up in the air!" She snapped. "What the hell is going on?"

"You've never been up in the air before?"

"Only in planes and helicopters, not _cars_!"

"Okay, okay. Don't worry."

Fujiko jumped as the car suddenly plummeted towards the ground. She shrieked, clenching her eyes shut tightly. The car jerked slightly and stopped its freefall, continuing on smoothly as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, you can open your eyes now."

Fujiko opened an eye saw that they were no longer in the air but on a street. She let out a sigh of relief, a hand on her chest as if trying to calm herself down.

"That was . . . something." She said a moment later.

"Sorry about that. I forgot that you're not from around here."

Fujiko gave him a look that reminded him of Bulma and he jumped, chuckling nervously.

"So, anyway!" He gulped then cleared his throat. "Where do you want to go for dinner?"

"Oh, I don't know," Fujiko shrugged her shoulder, turning her attention to the window. "How about that place?"

"Hm?"

Yamcha glanced in the direction that Fujiko was pointed and skidded the car to a halt. Fujiko flew forward, almost hitting her head on the dashboard.

"What in the hell . . ." She trailed off.

"You sure you wanna go _there_?" Yamcha asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, why not? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, it's just . . . really expensive."

"Oh, you can afford it, can't you?" Fujiko blinked, a look of sudden revelation on her face. "Oh, that's right . . . I'm sorry, I forgot that you were . . ."

"It's all right. If you want to go there, we can."

"I don't want to –"

"Fujiko," He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Really. I _want_ to go there."

He did _not_ want to go to that restaurant. He would have rather gone to a crappy little drive-thru than that particular restaurant. That restaurant was one of Bulma's favorites and she had taken him there a lot while they were dating.

He pulled into the parking lot, watching the valet running towards the car. He pushed a button, opening the butterfly doors. He got out and went to the passenger side of the car and held his hand out to Fujiko, helping her out.

"Such a gentleman." She said quietly, linking her arm with his.

"I try my best." He smirked at her, tossing his keys to the valet.

****

They shared a booth in a back corner of the dimly lit fancy restaurant. Yamcha kept looking around, thinking and fearing that he might see Bulma.

"Hey!" Yamcha jumped at the sound of Fujiko's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The two looked up to see the waitress fill their glasses with red wine, a wide cheerful smile on her face.

"Are you ready to order?"

Fujiko smiled and nodded while Yamcha shook his head; reaching for his menu he hadn't bothered to look at yet.

"I haven't decided yet," He said from behind his menu. "Fujiko, go ahead and order."

"I'll have the lobster."

Yamcha flinched as if he had been hit. The lobster was the most expensive thing on the menu.

"I'm so sorry," The waitress said, shaking her head. "We're actually out of the lobster tonight."

Fujiko made a face then picked up her menu and skimmed through it for a moment.

"Pesto pasta then, please."

"Angel hair or bowtie?" The waitress asked, taking Fujiko's menu.

"Bowtie."

"And for you, sir?" The waitress turned to Yamcha, her earrings jingling.

"Uhm, steak please. Medium rare."

The waitress scribbled down their orders, gave them a smile then walked away. Fujiko lifted her wine glass and clinked it against Yamcha's.

"Cheers." She winked at him before taking a sip.

"Cheers." He echoed back before taking a gulp.

The two sat in silence until their food arrived. Yamcha's eyes kept darting around the restaurant while he ate. Fujiko's fork clinked loudly when she dropped it against her plate, trying to get Yamcha's attention.

"Hey, Yamcha!" She waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello, earth to Yamcha!"

Yamcha blinked then turned to look directly at Fujiko. She looked a little irritated with him. He faked a smile and leaned back into his seat, laughing nervously.

"S-sorry, I'm a little distracted."

"By what?"

"This restaurant . . .it's one of my ex-girlfriend's favorites."

"Oh, I see." Fujiko lifted her wine glass again, leaning a little bit closer to him. "You're afraid that she might see you here, huh?"

Hesitantly, he nodded. He looked back down at his dinner and realized that he had lost his appetite.

"Did you two just break up recently?"

"Uh," Yamcha looked up and opened his mouth to speak; he felt like such a fool. He closed his mouth then opened it again, mumbling. "About eight years ago."

He jumped, feeling her high-heeled foot make contact with his shin. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and frustration. His frustration grew when he saw the playful look on Fujiko's face.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Eight years ago, Yamcha!" She shook her head, her playful smile widening. "Don't you think it's time to let go and move on?"

"Hey, I can let go and move on." He stated defiantly.

"Prove it."

Yamcha's eyes twitched slightly at the tone of her voice, as if she were challenging him. He reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

"Let's dance."

Fujiko blinked, obviously taken off-guard.

"Wha –"

"C'mon!"

Yamcha stood quickly, pulling Fujiko up from her seat. Fujiko stumbled, almost breaking the heel of her shoe, then regained her composure before she fell. Yamcha lead her to the hardwood dance floor in the restaurant, the jazz band on the stage against the wall playing an upbeat number. He stopped in the middle of the dance floor, an arm's length away from Fujiko as he still held her hand. He pulled her towards him, pressing her to his body. Fujiko's cheekbones flushed that pale rose color again as she put a hand against Yamcha's chest. He put his other hand on her hip, the two of them waltzing as if they were the only ones on the dance floor.

"Wow, you're a really great dancer." She smiled up at him. "Where'd you learn to dance like this?"

"My mother was a dance teacher." He shrugged, twirling her.

"Really?"

"No, I just thought it sounded cooler than saying my ex-girlfriend taught me."

"Oh ha, ha. I thought you were trying to prove that you could get over her."

"I am! That's why I lied and said the dance teacher mother thing! Get ready, I'm gonna dip you!"

"You're going to what?"

"Here we go!"

Smirking, Yamcha spun the two of them around then dipped Fujiko low just as the song ended. His smirk faded when he made eye contact with her. The two just stared at each other for a moment before Fujiko reached up and touched his face. He blinked, seeing something in the corner of his eye, then looked up. He gasped and let go of Fujiko, dropping her to the floor with a thud.

"Ow, what was that for?"

Yamcha looked around and let out a sigh of relief, realizing that his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

"Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me up?" Fujiko exclaimed, reaching her hand out to him.

"Oh, right! Sorry!" Yamcha grabbed Fujiko's delicate hand in both of his and helped her up. "I'm so sorry, I thought I saw someone that I –"

"Let me guess, your ex-girlfriend?"

"Well . . . yeah . . ." He uttered sheepishly, hanging his head. "Fujiko, I'm sorry."

"Don't you think that eight years is long enough, Yamcha? Really?" Fujiko huffed, folding her arms under her chest.

"Look, I said I was sorry, Fujiko, I really am." Yamcha pleaded, following her back to their table. "I promise that I'll pay more attention to you the rest of the night, I swear."

Fujiko stopped and looked back at him, quirking a delicately plucked eyebrow.

"Promise?"

"Promise." He pulled her chair out for her. "I swear."

"Oh, just sit down. You can make it up to me by getting me dessert."

****

The two shared a laugh as they waited for the valet to bring Yamcha's car around. During dessert (which had been chocolate mousse, a favorite of the both of them), they had found out that they had had a lot in common.

Yamcha put his arm around Fujiko's waist, pulling her closer to him. She smiled up at him and cupped his face in her hands, turning his head towards her. His gaze skidded from her eyes to her lips where they lingered until she began speaking.

"Despite the fact that you were afraid your ex would show up, I had a great time tonight."

"You say that like the date just ended." He said quietly, putting his hands on her hips. "Was it that bad?"

"You silly man, I just said I had a great time."

Her smile widened as she stood on the balls of her feet, pulling him closer to her so she could kiss him. At first, Yamcha was surprised. He had been expecting a kiss that night but he thought he would be the one initiating it. He smirked to himself and tilted his head to the side, kissing back.

"Ohmigosh! Yamcha, is that _you?_" A high-pitched voice gasped.

Fujiko and Yamcha pulled away from each other, turning their heads to look at the woman who spoke. Yamcha gulped, feeling a nervous sweat begin. Even in a millions years, he'd still remember her. Who could forget such a loose airhead like her? She always made him uncomfortable with her constant flirting with him in front of Bulma and putting him on the spot. He cleared his throat and gave Marron a little wave.

"Hey, Marron. Long time, no see."

"How are you?" She squealed in that annoying voice of hers. "It's been so long!"

"I'm . . . good."

"You're obviously not with Bulma anymore." Marron noted, looking Fujiko over. "That's good, that old lady was such a downer! Well, it was nice seeing you, Yamcha! Call me sometime, we'll do lunch!"

Marron waved at Yamcha before locking arms with some tall, dark and handsome man and entering the restaurant. Fujiko made a face at the back of Marron's retreating back. She turned back to Yamcha.

"That _thing_ wasn't your ex-girlfriend, was she?"

"No, that was . . . an ex-girlfriend of a friend, I guess."

"That's good. Hopefully, your friend found someone better."

"Hey, look, the car!" Yamcha pointed out, changing the subject.

He helped her into the car then sped away from the restaurant as fast as he could without getting pulled over by the police.

"Hey, slow down, speed racer!" Fujiko joked. "She's not following us, you know."

"Heh, sorry." Yamcha slowed the car down to the speed limit then ran a hand through his hair. "So, where to now? You want to go back to your hotel now?"

"I'm actually in the mood for a movie."

She shrugged, scooting closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder. He smirked and put his arm around her shoulders.

"There's nothing really good playing in theatres."

"You must have movies at your place then. Let's go to your apartment."

"Moving a little fast for the first date, aren't we?"

"We're not going to have sex, you idiot."

"Heh, I know . . . it was a joke."

There was an awkward silence between them for a while as the car slowly went airborne. Fujiko smiled, looking at the stars and clouds and the moon outside the windshield.

"So, tell me about the Dragonballs." She said suddenly, sitting up. "How were you able to find them?"

"My ex made a radar for it when she was sixteen," He shrugged, not thinking much of the sudden change of topic. "That's her place down there."

He pointed out the windshield to Capsule Corp. Fujiko made a face, looking it over.

"Is she rich or what?"

"Yeah, kinda. Her parents own Capsule Corp."

"Capsule what?" She asked, suddenly confused.

"Capsule – oh, never mind. I'll tell you later."

He smiled at her then reached over and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. She smiled back at him and leaned into his touch, turning slightly to gently kiss his palm.

****

Fujiko pushed Yamcha up against the door of his apartment, kissing him intensely. He groaned softly, wrapping his thick arms around her and pulling her closer to his body. The door to the apartment opened and Yamcha stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. The two looked up to see Puar looked down at them with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you all right, Yamcha?" She squeaked. "I was on the couch when I heard a loud bang at the door! I was starting to worry about you!"

"Yeah, Puar, I'm – _we_ are fine." Yamcha looked up at Fujiko. "You're okay, right? You didn't get hurt during the fall, did you?"

Fujiko scrambled to her feet then helped Yamcha up.

"I'm okay." Hesitantly, Fujiko lifted a hand and gave Puar a small wave. "Hello, uhm . . . what's your name again?"

"Puar." Yamcha and Puar said simultaneously.

"Oh. Hello, Puar."

"Should I leave, Yamcha?" Puar asked, looking from Fujiko to Yamcha. "Do you two want to be alone?"

"No, no, no!" Yamcha and Fujiko said together, frantically waving their hands at Puar. "We're fine, you don't need to go anywhere!"

Puar blinked, confused. Yamcha ran a hand through his hair nervously, turning to Fujiko.

"So, about that movie . . ."

"Oh!" Puar gasped. "I was just about to watch _Splash_!"

Fujiko's face lit up with recognition and a wide smile took up half her face.

"Oh, I love _Splash_!" She exclaimed. "I love Daryl Hannah!"

"Me, too!" Puar squealed, flying towards Fujiko. "She was amazing in that movie, wasn't she?"

"Oh, absolutely! Tom Hanks, too."

"Well, that's a given, it's Tom Hanks."

Yamcha chuckled at Fujiko and Puar as the two of them became chummy with each other, sitting down on the couch. Holding Puar in her arms, Fujiko sat down next to Yamcha and cuddled up against him As if as a reflex, Yamcha put his arm around, holding her closer as the movie began.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: So, I really like this story and I'm not going to stop writing it because it doesn't have enough reviews - People must just think it's a strange combination and that's what's putting them off. Well, whatever! To those who have been reading and reviewing every chapter (JJ!^_^), thank you so much! I'm glad that some people like it!:D So, anyway, this story will have a lot more action in later chapters so expect that! you'll be all like "Whoa!" and I'll be like all "Whoa!" and we'll all be like "Whoa!" :D Again, a gi-normous, humongous big thanks to my Beta Reader, Tendo Rei! I just have to thank her every chapter, she's been such a big help. So, anyway, enjoy!:D

* * *

Fujiko woke up, feeling something warm and heavy on her stomach. She groaned and, without opening her eyes, reached out to touch the object. Whatever it was started purring. She opened an eye to see Puar curled up in a ball on her stomach and purring loudly, looking like she belonged there, as if sleeping on Fujiko's stomach was a normal everyday thing.

The woman adjusted herself on the couch, trying as best as she could to pull the blanket up to her neck without disturbing Puar. The blue cat stirred, let out a sound that was a combination of a yawn and a meow. Fujiko smiled to herself and couldn't resist picking the cat up and cuddling with her. Puar had no problem at all, a content little smile on her face as she nuzzled into Fujiko and continued to purr.

Fujiko closed her eyes again, wiggling around in an attempt to get comfortable and go back to sleep. Hearing a noise from the bedroom, she lifted her head to look at the door just as Yamcha came out, rubbing his hair dry with a towel and whistling. He glanced down at Fujiko and seemed a bit surprised to see her awake. The two smiled at each other for a moment until he broke eye contact and went into the kitchen.

"Hey, are you hungry?" He called to her a minute later.

"Not really." Fujiko's stomach growled, betraying her. "Okay, maybe a little."

Yamcha chuckled and shook his head as he searched the cupboards and took out a skillet. He heard rustling in the living room and thought it was just Fujiko tossing and turning on the couch.

"What do you want for breakfast?" He asked, his back to the living room as he looked through the refrigerator.

"Anything's fine." Fujiko answered as she stood next to him.

Yamcha hit his head on the inside of the refrigerator, startled at Fujiko's sudden appearance at his side. He stood up, rubbing the back of his head and wincing in pain.

"Oh, god. Are you okay?" She asked as she looked over the slowly growing lump on the back of Yamcha's head.

"I'm all right," He turned back to her and gave her a reassuring smile. "You just scared me."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, really. It doesn't even hurt."

Fujiko made a face, walking around him to inspect the bump again. She reached out and quickly jabbed at it. Yelping, Yamcha jumped and spun around to face her.

"Ow, what was that for?" He grumbled, a pained and frustrated look on his face.

"It doesn't even hurt, huh?" Fujiko gave him a small teasing smile, biting the tip of her tongue.

"It doesn't when _you_ don't poke at it!" He shot back at her, a playful tone in his voice. "Now, what do you want to eat?"

"Anything's fine, I said."

"Anything's fine." Yamcha repeated, nodding his head as he turned his attention to the stove. "Omelets okay?"

"Sure." Fujiko shrugged.

Yamcha nodded again then went back to the refrigerator to take out what he needed. Leaning against the wall opposite the stove with her arms crossed under her chest, Fujiko watched Yamcha as he diligently made breakfast.

"You know," She said a moment later, a teasing tone in her voice. "You'd make a great wife."

"Heh, so would you."

Yamcha stopped what he was doing and tensed. Why did he say that? He gulped as his heart began to race, a nervous bead of sweat starting to trickle down the side of his face. The room was suddenly filled with a strange tension. Cautiously, Yamcha turned his head to look back at Fujiko to see a blush on her face that matched his own.

"Heh, that was . . . that was a joke!" He stammered, letting out a small titter.

"Oh."

Yamcha turned back to the stove and his body relaxed slightly when he heard the floor creak as Fujiko padded back into the living room. He let out a sigh of relief then hit himself on the forehead with the palm of his head.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He whispered to himself through clenched teeth. "What the hell was that?"

No matter how hard Fujiko tried, she could not get rid of the blush on her face. She pulled the still sleeping Puar onto her lap and began petting her again.

"Is it okay if I watch some TV?" She called to the kitchen.

"Sure, go ahead!"

She could hear the nervous waver in his voice as she reached for the remote and turned the television on. She felt a sudden wave of heat emanating from the kitchen and she heard Yamcha mumble a few choice words under his breath.

"Are you okay in there?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm . . . I'm fine."

"That doesn't sound very convincing, Yamcha!"

"Well, _I'm_ fine but your omelet sure isn't."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I set it on fire."

"Oh." Fujiko nodded then stopped in mid-nod, a look of confusion on her pretty face. "Wait, you what?"

"I didn't mean to, I wasn't paying attention and I – shit!"

Fujiko gently set Puar back on the couch then quickly made her way back into the kitchen. She saw Yamcha sucking on his finger, a pathetic pained expression on his face that made him resemble a child.

"What happened?"

"I burned my finger." Yamcha said, not taking his finger out of his mouth.

"Well, good god, man! Put it under cold water!"

She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to the kitchen sink, turning the cold water on with her free hand. She thrust his burned finger under the water.

"Hey, I can do it." He protested, sounding like a sad little kid.

"Do you need a band-aid or something?"

"No, I'm good."

"Oh, you poor baby." She said in a sympathetic mother-like voice through pursed lips as she turned the water off and kissed his finger. "You poor accident prone baby."

"Hey!" Yamcha stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. "I'm not accident prone, I'm just . . . distracted."

"Oh?" Fujiko let go of his hand and crossed her arms under her chest, an eyebrow quirked. "And what could you be distracted by in your own kitchen?"

"I was . . ." Yamcha licked his lips; he could feel his face getting hot. "My mind is somewhere else."

"Well, are you gonna tell me what it is or is it a secret between you and the burnt omelet?"

Yamcha chuckled, his body relaxing. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged.

"I guess it's a secret between me and the burnt omelet."

"Oh, that's not fair!" She slapped at him playfully.

Yamcha caught her wrist and pulled her towards him, putting his other arm around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled. He smiled down at her, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her head up to look at him. Knowing exactly what was about to happen, Fujiko stood on the balls of her feet and stole a kiss from him. He swept her off her feet and spun her around the room, still kissing her. She broke the kiss only to toss her head back and laugh before kissing him again. The sound of someone sighing dreamily made the two stop. They looked over to see Puar sitting on the small kitchen counter, her chin in her hands as she watched Yamcha and Fujiko.

"You two make such a wonderful couple!" She squeaked, causing the two to let go of each other and blush.

"Puar, I thought you were asleep! How long have you been spying on us?"

"Long enough!" She said in a singsong voice, cocking her head to the side and grinning happily. "You two should really get married, Yamcha!"

Fujiko gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as Yamcha stared at Puar with shocked wide eyes.

"Puar!" He said through gritted teeth, a look of sheer embarrassment on his face.

"What? I'm just being honest! It's not like you're getting any younger, Yamcha!"

"Puar!" Yamcha repeated, a little louder this time as Fujiko just laughed.

"I think it's too soon to even _think_ about marriage, Puar." Fujiko said, picking her up and holding her. "I mean, that's something that should be saved for the third date and we've only just had our first."

Puar leaned into Fujiko's hand, purring loudly as the woman turned back to Yamcha with a playful smile on her face.

"What do you think, Yamcha?"

Yamcha was silent a moment, mentally debating whether or not Fujiko was joking. He opened his mouth to speak when the smoke detector above his head began screeching. He looked up to see black smoke billowing around the ceiling. He turned back to the stove to see what had been Fujiko's breakfast burst into flames.

"Shit!" He exclaimed. "Puar! Fire extinguisher!"

Puar squirmed out of Fujiko's arms and turned into a fire extinguisher. Yamcha grabbed her and proceeded to put out the fire as Fujiko watched in shock and awe.

She blinked as Puar changed back and flew back into Fujiko's arms, snuggling into her as if nothing had happened. Yamcha wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm and gave Fujiko a reassuring smile.

"So much for breakfast." He shrugged.

"You don't cook very much, do you?" She joked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"He's actually a very good cook!" Puar piped up, looking from Fujiko to Yamcha to Fujiko again. "You just make him nervous! That means he really likes you!"

Fujiko laughed at the disturbed and embarrassed look on Yamcha's slowly flushing face as he glowered at his beloved blue friend. He looked up at Fujiko and scratched at the back of his head sheepishly.

"Uh, I don't suppose you'd want to go _out_ for breakfast, would you?"

"Actually," Fujiko glanced at her watch then gave Yamcha an apologetic look. "I think I better be going."

"Oh, okay. Let me just grab my jacket and –"

"No, thanks. I don't want to trouble you. I'll take a taxi."

"But . . . Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"It's no trouble, really."

"Yamcha, really, it's fine." Fujiko let go of Puar then went to Yamcha, taking his face in her hands and looking him in the eyes. "I had a great time last night and I really do look forward to seeing you again."

She gave him a quick kiss before turning to Puar and giving the cat a small wave. She grabbed her jacket off of the coat rack and shrugged it on before leaving. Yamcha watched Fujiko close the door behind her before turning to Puar, a furious look on his face.

"What in the hell was that?" He seethed, grabbing at his hair. "Are you trying to embarrass me, Puar?"

"I'm just trying to help, Yamcha." Puar said coyly, avoiding eye contact with her friend.

"_That_ was not helping!" He exclaimed, flinging an arm towards the door. "_That_ was making me look like a giant idiot!"

"Yamcha, you are a giant idiot if you let her slip away!" Puar snapped, floating towards him.

Yamcha took a step back, a look of surprise on his face at Puar's sudden outburst. Never in the entire time that the two had known each other had Puar ever raised her voice to anyone; she was always so soft-spoken.

"It's obvious that you really like her! It's just like –"

"We've only known each other for a few days, Puar." Yamcha tried to protest, his words being overlapped by Puar's.

"-When you were with Bulma!"

Yamcha faltered. He wasn't expecting that. He turned away from her, facing the stove. He pretended to be deeply involved with scraping the charred blackness that once was an omelet from the skillet with a spatula.

"You can't ignore this, Yamcha! It's just like when you first started dating Bulma!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He grumbled, continuing with his menial little task.

"Yes, you do! And don't turn your back on me! Are you afraid that what happened with Bulma will happen with Fujiko?"

Yamcha dropped the spatula in the skillet then turned, avoiding eye contact with Puar as he dropped the blackened skillet into the sink.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He repeated, walking to his bedroom.

"Yamcha! You're being ridiculous!" Puar huffed as Yamcha slammed his bedroom door behind him, a look of frustration mixed with sympathy on her face as she shook her head. "You're a stubborn little man!"

****

Fujiko gave the taxi driver a small smile as she paid him then got out of the car. She looked up at the hotel, listening to the taxi as it sped away. She shuddered slightly and, for some strange reason, she felt _guilty_. She straightened her back and kept her head high as she entered the hotel and made her way to the elevator.

Lupin and Jigen pulled back the curtains and watched Fujiko enter the building from the window of their room. Jigen shook his head as Lupin's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Look at her, goin' down the walk of shame."

"Shut up, Jigen." Lupin shot back at his friend, letting go of the curtain and turning away from the window.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Lupin left the room and walked down the hall just as the doors to the elevator opened and Fujiko stepped out. Fujiko gasped when she saw him, startled by the strange look on his face. A jolt of anxiety hit her and her eyes widened as he walked towards her, forcing her back into the elevator. Not taking his eyes off of her, Lupin reached out and pressed the button that closed the elevator's doors.

"Let's go for a ride, Fujiko." He said in a low voice.

She opened her mouth to try and say something but all that came out was a small choking sound as she nodded.

The two stood in silence as they rode the elevator up to the twelfth floor, down to the lobby then back up to the top. Fujiko looked down at her hands as she picked at her nails, Lupin just stared intensely at the elevator doors. She looked at him the corner of her eye to see his demeanor change as he shuffled his feet, his hands in his pants pockets. She backed away from him, knowing what was going to happen. She gasped as he pounced on her, pushing her against the wall of the elevator and kissing her.

"Lupin!" She whined, turning her head from him as she tried to push him away. "Stop it! Cut it out!"

"Oh, c'mon, Fujicakes!" He chuckled, puckering his lips and making kissing sounds at her. "You know you can't resist me!"

"Get off me, Lupin!" She shouted, kicking him hard in the shin.

Lupin backed away, wincing in pain. He rubbed the back of his neck, his jokester smile slowly disappearing as he stared at Fujiko.

"Fujiko. I was just kidding."

"It was _not_ funny!" She stomped her foot, glaring angrily at Lupin. "It's never funny! I don't appreciate you grabbing and groping at me all the time! I'm a human being and I'm sick of it!"

Lupin looked taken aback at her sudden empowered feminist outburst. He regained his composure, a serious look on his face.

"What's gotten into you, Fujiko? Ever since you met that _guy_, you've been acting so different, as if this isn't just some kind of –" Lupin gasped, interrupting himself. "You!"

Fujiko blinked, trying to press herself closer to the wall of the elevator, as if she were afraid he was going to attack her.

"You like him, don't you?" He almost shouted. "This isn't just about _the_ Dragonballs anymore, you only care about _his_ dragon –"

"Don't you _dare_ even finish that sentence, Lupin!" Fujiko pointed at him, taking a step forward. "And before you jump to any conclusions, I don't have _any_ feelings for Yamcha!"

"Yes, you do! I can tell! I can see it on your face!" Lupin pointed at her.

"There is nothing on my face, Lupin!" Fujiko put her hands on her face, as if feeling if something were indeed there.

"Oh, yes there is! You have the hots for this guy, don't you? Just admit it!"

"It's nothing! It's . . . It's just an infatuation!" She stammered, her hair falling in her face.

What she said made Lupin pause as her words registered in his mind. She tried to ignore the sudden playful flash in his eyes.

"An infatuation, huh?"

"Yes, just an infatuation."

The elevator was dead silent as the two stared at each other. Lupin smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, snickering. Fujiko's eyes narrowed in anger.

"What's so damn funny?"

"You must think I'm stupid, don't you?"

"What? Of course not!"

"Come off it, Fujiko. I've seen _Moulin Rouge_ almost as much as I've seen _The Wizard of Oz_!"

Fujiko blinked and turned away from him as he laughed out loud. It took him a few minutes to calm down and for his laughter to cease. When it did, he just shook his head and looked at her, a smug look on his face.

"Tell me what you did last night, Fujiko. Did you do anything – anything at all – that was Dragonball related?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." She folded her arms over her chest. "He told me there's a radar his ex-girlfriend made to find the Dragonballs when she was sixteen."

"When she was sixteen? What is she, some kind of super genius?"

"I guess." She shrugged. "She's also really rich, her parents own some place called Capsule Corp or something."

Lupin was quiet a moment, biting his tongue as he thought. He snapped his fingers at her.

"I want you to meet her!"

"What?"

"Yeah, tell this Yamcha guy that you want to meet his friends!"

"No! I can't!"

"And why not?"

"I just . . . I just can't!"

"You can, Fujicakes!" He ordered. "You can and you will. You have to."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, obviously frustrated. She moved her hair out of her face and looked at him.

"All right, but it's going to take a while, okay?"

"And how long is 'a while'?"

"A month or two." She raised a hand to stop Lupin before he had a chance to interrupt her. "Look, he's the type of guy who takes it slow with a girl, he's nothing like you."

"Oh?" Lupin quirked an eyebrow and smirked as he took a few steps towards her. "He's nothing like me, huh? Is that a good thing?"

"Yes, a very good thing." She smiled at him, pushing him away playfully.

****

Yamcha leaned against the curved palm tree on the small island, watching the blonde haired little girl stomp her feet in the water. He couldn't help but smile at the adorable toddler as she splashed and giggled. He felt an all too familiar pang in his chest and he turned his head away from the little girl to the small pink house a few feet away from him. Krillin came out of the house, walking backwards and talking to whoever was inside. He laughed at whatever the person inside had said then turned around to grin at Yamcha. As he got closer to the bigger man, he held a soda out to him. Yamcha took it but didn't open it.

"So, what's up, man?" Krillin asked, watching his daughter frolic in the water with Turtle.

Yamcha gave Krillin a half-shrug as if it were no big deal that he had showed up out of the blue. It had been a while since Yamcha had paid a visit to the little island – about a few months – but Yamcha had been busy. Krillin tilted his head back and took a sip of his own soda, smirking at his friend.

"You met someone." He said a moment later, his big grin never leaving his face. "That's it, isn't it?"

Yamcha blinked, dumbfounded. Krillin laughed, tossing his head back.

"You _did_ meet someone!" Krillin exclaimed, clinking his can of soda against Yamcha's. "Go on, tell me about her!"

"But . . . how did you . . .?"

Krillin laughed again.

"Yamcha, I know you! You must really like her, too, if you're coming over here to talk to me about her."

"What makes you think I came over here to tell you about her?" Yamcha asked, popping his soda open. "What if I just came over to say 'hello' and visit my goddaughter?"

Krillin gave Yamcha a look and Yamcha sighed deeply.

"Okay, so I _did_ come over to talk to you about her."

"Spill."

"Her name is Fujiko and she's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me since Bulma." Yamcha chuckled and shook his head slowly, looking down at his soda can. "I must sound so corny right now."

"Corny? Yamcha, this is _me_ you're talking to!" Krillin stretched his arms up. "I'm the king of corny!"

Yamcha chuckled then took a quick gulp of his soda.

"Daddy, look at the castle Turtle and I made!" Marron squealed, pointing at the lumpy and misshaped sandcastle she had made.

"That's mondo cool, sweetheart!" Krillin laughed.

Yamcha snorted and covered his mouth his hand, trying to keep the soda in his mouth from spraying out. He swallowed then made a little choking noise before laughing. Krillin made a face at Yamcha as he continued to laugh.

"I'm – I'm sorry, really. I just . . . can't believe you still say that!"

"Oh, c'mon!" Krillin flailed his arms a bit. "It's not that bad."

"Yeah, it is." Yamcha smirked as he lifted his soda can to his lips again. "Mondo bad."

"Oh, ha-ha." Krillin nudged Yamcha, smirking up at him. "So, tell me about your new woman, you player! How long have you known her?"

"A couple days."

"A couple days?" Krillin repeated. "And she's the greatest thing to happen to you since Bulma?"

"Well, yeah . . ." Yamcha shuffled his feet, looking down at the sand. "It's like . . . It's like how it was with Bulma, except without the fighting."

"But you two are just getting to know each other."

"Yeah, but Bulma and I fought even when we started dating. That whole relationship was fighting and her accusing me of stuff I didn't do." He said bitterly as he reminisced. "To be honest, I'm actually _glad_ that she left me for Vegeta. At least that way, she can fight all she wants and . . ."

Krillin waited patiently for Yamcha to finish his sentence. When he didn't, Krillin just gave Yamcha a sympathetic and understanding nod then drank the rest of his soda. The shorter man crouched down, smiling, as his daughter ran to him with her arms out. He scooped her up and kissed her cheek. Yamcha smirked, looking at the little girl.

"She looks just like you, Krillin."

"Yeah, hopefully, she'll grow out of it sooner or later." Krillin joked, letting the little girl straddle his hip. "Y'know, you should bring Fujiko by."

"What? No way, it's way too soon."

"Yamcha, don't you think that it's about time that you stopped taking things so slow? You're not getting any younger, you know."

Yamcha's eye twitched. The bigger man was silent for a moment before downing the rest of his soda. He crushed the can in his hand dropped it.

"Litter bug." Krillin joked, sticking his tongue out as Yamcha.

Yamcha watched Krillin bounce his daughter on his hip, tickling her stomach and making her giggle.

"You know, I envy you." Yamcha said sulkily. "When we were younger you never wanted anything you have now."

Krillin stopped tickling his daughter and his smile faded as he looked up at Yamcha. He bent down and set his daughter down.

"Go inside and play with mommy, Marron."

"Okay, daddy." The little girl chirped before running off towards the house.

Krillin turned back to Yamcha, his hands on his hips.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You never wanted to get married, Krillin, you never wanted to have kids. I did."

"Things happen, Yamcha. People change and . . . things happen."

"Everything just fell conveniently into your lap." Yamcha grumbled.

"That is not true!" Krillin raised his voice slightly then lowered it. "Nothing just fell into my lap, Yamcha. Nothing ever 'just falls' into somebody's lap."

"Bull shit!"

"You're so freaking difficult sometimes, Yamcha! I'm trying to help you and you turn on me!"

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Eighteen asked, sticking her head out the window.

"Nothing, honey!" Krillin laughed nervously, flashing his wife a reassuring grin. "We're just talking!"

"Well, could you keep it down? We're trying to watch a movie in here." Eighteen shot before retracting her head back into the house and closing the window.

Krillin turned back to Yamcha, sighing audibly. Yamcha imitated his short friend, the sudden animosity between them disappearing. Krillin smiled up at Yamcha then patted him on the back.

"Sorry about that, man. But seriously, you should bring her by." Krillin snapped his fingers. "I know! I'll call Bulma and have her throw a party at Capsule Corp!"

"What? Just to meet my new girlfriend?" Yamcha felt a nervous little flutter in his stomach when he referred to Fujiko as his girlfriend. "Bulma would never go for that!"

"Oh, well, of course not!" Krillin laughed. "I'll just say that it's been a long time since all of us got together and partied – and it has, y'know."

"Krillin, I don't know . . ."

"Come on, Yamcha! It'll be great! Trust me!"

"But . . . I don't know . . . There are some similarities between Bulma and Fujiko, I don't want them to butt heads or anything."

"Trust me, Yamcha, nothing bad is gonna happen." Krillin chuckled. "And if anything does happen, I'm sure we can handle it . . . Or tape it because everybody loves a good cat fight."

"Krillin!" Yamcha gasped.

"Heh, sorry." The short man scratched the back of his head. "I've been living with Roshi too long, I guess."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree. But what if everybody freaks her out? I mean, everyone we know isn't exactly normal."

"Are you thinking of certain people turning super Saiyan?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"But Krillin –"

"Don't worry about it." Krillin repeated, reaching down to pick up the crushed can. "Bulma and I will take care of everything. You just go home and wait for Bulma's call."

"You're not gonna tell her about –"

"No! Yamcha, don't worry about it! It's all under control!" Krillin said through a chuckle. "How many times do I have to say 'don't worry about it' until you start to believe it?"

Yamcha sighed then shrugged.

"Okay. Let me just say bye to the kid and I'll get outta here."

"Right." Krillin turned to the house and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Squirt! Come say good bye to your uncle Yamcha!"

The blonde little girl raced out of the house, her arms out to Yamcha as she ran to him. Yamcha bent down and hugged her, smiling when she kissed his cheek.

"Seeya later, kiddo."

"Bye-bye, Yamcha!" The little girl chirped before running to her father and hugging his leg.

Yamcha stood then waved to Krillin before getting into his car and taking to the sky.

****

Fujiko stretched out on the couch, pulling Puar onto her lap as the two watched a made for TV movie together. She had come over, looking for Yamcha but was disappointed to find out that he had gone off to visit a friend. She tried to ignore the sudden jolt of jealousy that coursed through her body as Puar invited her in, telling her to stay, that Yamcha would be back soon.

Now there they were, relaxing on the couch. Fujiko smiled to herself, feeling comfortable.

"_I could get used to this._" She thought, scratching Puar's head, which made the cat purr.

"Are you going to stay the night again?" Puar asked dreamily, closing her eyes as Fujiko pet her.

"I might, if it's all right with Yamcha." She answered honestly.

"Do you like him?" Puar asked, rubbing her head against Fujiko's fingertips. "He likes you a lot. Almost as much as he liked Bulma."

Fujiko stopped petting the blue cat, her hand hovering an inch above Puar's head. Puar opened her eyes and looked at Fujiko, tilting her head to the side with a confused look on her face.

"What?"

"Is that true?" Fujiko asked.

"Oh, yeah." Puar nodded. "He's been so happy since he met you. It's wonderful."

"Does Yamcha . . . have any pictures of Bulma?" Fujiko sat up, swinging her legs off the couch. "I'd like to see what she looks like."

Puar instantly jumped up and zoomed over to the television, where a thick brown photo album rested totally forgotten on a shelf, hidden behind a fake potted plant. She struggled to pick the book up, protesting against Fujiko helping her before finally getting the album up and slowly flying back to the couch. Fujiko took the album from the cat and flipped it open to a random page. She made a face at the picture of Bulma hanging onto Yamcha, disapproving of the close proximity the two had shared.

"Look at that hair!" Fujiko gasped. "She looks like a sheep!"

"Oh, Bulma and her ever-changing hair." Puar said, as if reminiscing.

"Please, tell me that she doesn't have that hideous Afro anymore." Fujiko said, taking the picture out of the album. "Even though they're smiling, neither of them looks very happy."

"They fought a lot." Puar answered, leaning into Fujiko's elbow in an attempt to get the woman to pet her again. "They broke up and got back together all the time."

"Then what happened?" Fujiko asked, putting the picture back and flipping through the pages.

"She met Vegeta." Puar said, matter-of-factly.

"Who is –"

The sound of the door being unlocked startled Fujiko. She stood suddenly, the photo album dropping from her lap to the floor. Yamcha came in, looking tired. He smiled at Fujiko, thinking nothing of her being there. He went into the kitchen and the two in the living room could hear him rummaging around in the fridge. Fujiko sat back down, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Yamcha appeared in the living room, a bottle of beer in his hand. He sat down next to Fujiko, putting his free arm around her shoulders.

"What're you watching?" He asked, taking a quick swig of his beer.

"Some _Lifetime_ movie," Fujiko looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking, Yamcha?"

"It's just one," He shrugged, giving her a playful smile before kissing her temple. "I'm not gonna get drunk or anything."

"Promise?" Fujiko asked, nuzzling into him.

"I promise."

The two leaned into each other, cuddling until Yamcha jerked and accidentally spilled his beer, suddenly remembering something. Fujiko leaned away from him, giving him a startled yet confused look.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, his words rushing together.

"You're a strange man, do you know that?" Fujiko leaned closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I came over looking for you, but you were out and about cavorting with your other girlfriend."

"Other girl - No way, pretty lady!" Yamcha laughed then boasted. "I'm a one woman man!"

"Good!" Fujiko laughed, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him into a sideways hug. "It's nice to see that you're not so nervous around me anymore."

"Yeah." Yamcha smirked and put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I'm warming up to you, Fujiko."

"Should I leave?" Puar asked, hovering in front of Yamcha and Fujiko as the two canoodled. "Do you need some privacy?"

Yamcha and Fujiko smiled at each other and laughed. Fujiko turned to Puar and pulled the cat into a tight hug.

"Come here, you!" She laughed.

Yamcha pulled Fujiko onto his lap, causing her to shriek with laughter. She rested her head on his shoulder, planting a kiss on his neck. Puar looked up at them, smiling widely.

"Look at you!" She squealed happily, clapping. "We're like one happy family! You're so perfect for each other!"

Instead of feeling embarrassed as they usually would when Puar said something like that, the two just smiled at the flying blue shape shifter. Yamcha reached out and put his hand on Puar's head, grinning.

"You couldn't be more right, buddy." He turned to Fujiko. "Stay for dinner."

"Are you going to be cooking?" She asked playfully.

"Yes. I promise I won't set anything on fire."

Before she could answer, the phone rang, jerking their attention away from each other. Yamcha lifted Fujiko up and set her back down on the couch gently then got up.

"Be right back." He said quietly before kissing her forehead and disappearing into the kitchen.

Fujiko watched after him then turned to Puar, who just smiled happily up at the woman. Fujiko smiled down at the cat, picked her up and kissed her on the nose.

Yamcha grabbed the phone off the hook and put it to his ear, knowing whom it was.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Yamcha!" Krillin greeted. "It's all set! This weekend at noon, Capsule Corp.!"

"Wait, this weekend? Isn't that a little . . . _too_ soon?" Yamcha asked, leaning back and glancing at Fujiko in the living room.

She smiled then waved at him. He returned the wave then straightened back up.

"Well, this weekend wasn't _my_ idea. It was Bulma's."

"Bulma?" He lowered his voice. "You didn't tell her about Fujiko, did you?"

"No, no!" Krillin laughed on the other side of the phone. "She just agreed with me that it's been way too long since everybody got together and thought it would be a fabulous idea to have the party this weekend."

"Fabulous?"

"Her words, not mine."

The two old friends chuckled.

"All right, so this weekend, at Capsule Corp, noon." Yamcha repeated, writing it down on the calendar. "Do I need to bring anything?"

"Do you _ever_ have to bring anything?" Krillin retorted.

"Heh, well, I guess that answers my question. I guess I'll seeya this weekend, Krillin."

"Seeya later!" Krillin said before hanging up.

Yamcha hung up the phone and smiled to himself before going back to the living room. He stood with his hands on his hips, smirking at Fujiko when she looked at him.

"How'd you like to go to a party at a friend's place this weekend?" He asked.

* * *

Author's Note: Ooh, so Bulma and Fujiko are going to meet! What's going to happen??:P I'm actually really excited about the next chapter - is that weird that an author is getting excited over her own story? I don't know. Well, seeya at Chapter Five! - Fujicakes, out!:P


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, so it's chapter five already! I seriously love this story - just kinda wish other people liked it too but what're you gonna do?:P At least JJ likes it!:D So . . . Enjoy!

* * *

For the second time since she had met Yamcha, Fujiko was feeling nervous - it was strange. Fujiko was never afraid of meeting new people but some of the things that Yamcha had told her about them had her worried that she might be found out, that the plan to find the Dragonballs would be exposed somehow during the party.

But being found out was just a tiny fraction to the growing feeling of fear that Yamcha's friends were not going to like her. She had never cared if anyone disliked her, it didn't matter to her – but _these_ people were _different_. _These_ people were Yamcha's friends and knew him better than anyone. She knew that they would judge her and make their assumptions about her – probably even go as far as to tell Yamcha that she was no good for him. She didn't want that at _all_. She wondered if she would somehow fit into the large group.

She couldn't quite push away the rising feeling of anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach as she leaned over the bathroom counter, getting a better look in the mirror as she straightened her hair. She flinched and cursed under her breath as she accidentally burned herself with her straightener for the umpteenth time. She jumped, hearing the tinny high-pitched ring of her cell phone. She dropped the straightener on the counter and snatched the phone up, a terrifying sick feeling bubbling up in her stomach as she read the caller ID. She gulped and flipped the phone open before putting it to her ear.

"Hello?" She whispered.

"Fujicakes!" Fujiko rolled her eyes at the sound of Lupin's voice. "Where are you? I haven't seen you for a few days – the girl in the lobby said you checked out sometime Wednesday night."

"Lupin, shut up." She said lowly, picking her straightener back up and finishing straightening her hair. "I'm at Yamcha's. I've been here the whole time."

"You what!" He almost screamed. "Fujiko, what're you doing?"

"Keep your damn voice down, you idiot!" She hushed, turning her straightener off. "I'm in his bathroom right now and the walls in his apartment are really thin – He can probably hear everything we're saying."

"The walls are thin, huh? And how'd you find this out?"

"Well, the other night one of his neighbors called the police, saying that we were being too loud."

"You were being too – Fujiko!" He exclaimed, his voice high with shock. "You didn't! Tell me you didn't!"

"Why? I'm a grown woman. Are you afraid that Yamcha's a better lover than you are?"

Lupin growled on the other end of the phone and Fujiko couldn't help but smirk; it was always so much fun to mess with Lupin's head.

"You can just relax, Lupin. I haven't slept with him . . . yet."

"Fujiko, stop it!" Lupin whined; sounding exasperated.

"I'm just joking, Lupin." Fujiko leaned closer to the mirror to apply her make up as best as she could while being on a cell phone – which, actually, didn't turn out bad at all.

"It's not funny." Lupin pouted. "Have you, though?"

"Have I what? Slept with him?"

"Yes."

"No. It's way too soon for that."

"Oh, it's way too soon for sex but it's not too soon for you to move in with him!"

"Hey, he asked me to! He said he didn't want me to waste all my money –"

"You mean _my_ money." Lupin interjected bitterly.

"- On a hotel room." Fujiko continued, ignoring the interruption. "I think it's sweet. He's quite the gentleman, he's such a sweetheart."

"You two aren't sharing his bed, are you?" Lupin asked, his voice low all of a sudden.

Fujiko rolled her eyes again and put on her lipstick. She could hear snickering in the background.

"Tell Jigen to shut up." She snapped. "And no, we're not. He's sleeping on the couch; he insisted I take his bed. So, anyway, what do you want?"

"I was calling for a Dragonball update. Anything new so far, princess?"

"Well, actually, _princess_, that's what I'm doing today." She let out an exasperated sigh and brushed away a stray eyelash from her face with a finger. "We're going to Capsule Corp. for a party."

"A party? Well, that's just great, Fujiko! Try and pin the tail on the frickin' donkey for me!"

"You're such an idiot. His ex-girlfriend _lives_ there, remember?" She took a step back and examined herself in the mirror. She couldn't help but wink and blow a kiss at her own reflection.

"Stop flirting with your damn reflection and continue with your story – we all know you're hot stuff, Fujiko, but I think the Dragonballs are a little more important right now."

"Anyway, his ex-girlfriend lives there and she made the Dragon Radar –"

"So, you plan on stealing it?"

"Well, I –"

"That's great, Fuji! For a second, I thought you were just gonna forget all about the Dragonballs and just party." Lupin chuckled then was quiet for a moment. "Fuj?"

"Yes, Lupin?" She answered, getting slightly annoyed with him.

"Tell me you love me."

"Oh, fuck off." She grumbled before hanging up the phone. "He's such a prick."

She reached out and grabbed the sleeveless purple turtleneck dress hanging on the bathroom door. She slipped it on over her head then smoothed it out against her body. She slid her feet into the matching purple boots then gave her reflection one last look before sauntering out.

****

Lupin listened to the dial tone a moment longer, the smirk on his face slowly fading. He hung up the phone then turned to face Jigen.

"So, what? What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later." He shrugged. "Let's go get something to drink."

"Now, you're speaking my language!" Jigen exclaimed, hopping up from the chair he was sitting in and following Lupin to the door.

Lupin turned back to look at Goemon, who sat in his normal cross-legged sitting position with his eyes closed.

"Goemon, you coming?"

Goemon opened one eye and looked at the two at the door.

"No thank you." He said flatly. "It's the middle of the afternoon."

"You're not even gonna have a drink with us?" Jigen asked, turning to look at Goemon. "C'mon, man!"

"We're not gonna talk about the Dragonballs, we won't even mention it." Lupin insisted. "Come on, Goemon! We never get to spend any quality time together, just the three of us."

Goemon opened his eye again.

"And what do you call the time we've spent together the last few days?"

"Staying the room watching crappy reality TV shows and none of us talking is not 'quality time', Go-Go." Lupin sighed, rolling his eyes.

Goemon opened his other eye and glared at Lupin.

"I _hate_ when you call me 'Go-Go'." He said, obviously annoyed, and then closed his eyes tightly.

"C'mon, Goemon. They have sake at the bar in the lobby."

"They what?" Goemon's eyes popped open and he jerked his attention to Jigen.

"Yeah, they even have the kind you like." Jigen smirked, lowering his fedora.

"Yeah, and I'm _buying_!" Lupin flailed his arms. "Now, will you come with us?"

"I guess if you're buying." Goemon answered, his voice calm as he got up and followed the two other men out of the room. "Don't try to get me intoxicated and coax me into doing things I wouldn't approve of if I were sober."

"Oh, of course not!" Lupin chuckled, locking the door behind them.

****

Fujiko walked out into the living room to see Yamcha leaning against the small kitchen counter with his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing that yellow suit he wore the day they had met. His eyes met hers and the two shared a secretive smile that only lovers share as she walked over to him.

"Ready?" He asked, his eyes skiing down her body. "Wow, you look great."

"Thanks." She tossed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "So do you."

"Not as good as you." He replied before giving her a quick kiss. "You're gorgeous."

"Your friends are going to hate me." She said suddenly, the sick nervous feeling in her stomach returning.

"No, they won't. Nobody is going to hate you, trust me."

"But what if –"

"Trust me." He flashed a wide reassuring smile at her. "When you meet Goku, you'll be golden."

"Goku instantly loves everybody!" Puar chirped, floating above Fujiko's shoulder.

"Goku?" Fujiko looked from Puar to Yamcha. "And that's . . .?"

"The little boy with the monkey tail in the pictures." Yamcha smiled and put an arm around Fujiko's shoulders as they left the apartment building. "Of course, he's not a little boy anymore."

Yamcha reached into his pocket and took out a capsule. He clicked the top then threw it. Even though Yamcha had told her all about capsules, Fujiko was still a bit surprised to see a tiny yellow capsule turn into a yellow sports car.

Yamcha looked down at Fujiko and smiled at her; her eyes had widened when she saw the car appear. She reminded him of a little girl at Christmas. He couldn't help but lean down and kiss her temple. He was glad that he was finally feeling so comfortable around her, being nervous all the time was just pure torture to him.

A little thought kept bothering him as he helped her into the passenger side of the car. Had he made the right decision to let her move in with him so early? Technically, the two had only been dating a week – having her move in was moving a bit too fast, wasn't it? But then he was reminded of what Puar and Krillin had told him – "You're not getting any younger, Yamcha". _That_ thought pushed the first thought away.

"_Enough with taking things slow,_" He thought as he got in and started the car. "_I'm not getting any younger, they're right. You only have one life, right? Live it to the fullest and all that junk._"

"Yamcha!" Fujiko and Puar said together, jerking his attention away from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay, Yamcha?" Puar asked, sitting on Fujiko's lap. "You look like something's bothering you."

"No, no. I'm fine." He smiled at them. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Fujiko asked as the car took to the sky.

"Just stuff." He shrugged, messing around with the radio. "Nothing important, really."

Fujiko reached over and put her hand on the back of Yamcha's neck. He smiled to himself when she started to massage his neck.

"You seem tense." She pointed out.

"I'm a lot less tense than I was before, Fujiko." He looked away from the windshield long enough to smile at her. "That feels nice."

"Isn't it amazing?" Puar piped up, looking from Yamcha to Fujiko for approval. "She should really be a masseuse!"

"Well, thanks, guys." Fujiko laughed and poked Puar on the nose. "Nobody's ever told me that before."

"It's true. You've got this, like, magic touch." Yamcha sat up straight, smiling to himself again. "Do you think later you could give me a back massage? I've got this huge knot that's been bothering me for a while."

"Sure, I'd love to."

The two turned to each other, their eyes locking, and time seemed to stop for two full minutes for them. All they could see were each other – not Puar, the sky or the birds flying around them – just each other. Fujiko moved her hand from his neck to the side of his face. Yamcha took a hand off the steering wheel and held Fujiko's wrist, moving her hand away from his face. He brought her palm to his lips and gave it a tender little kiss. He kept his lips there a while longer, never taking his eyes away from hers. Fujiko felt her face flush instantly and she opened her mouth to say something when Puar flew into her view, pointing out the windshield.

"Watch out, Yamcha!" The blue shape-shifter screamed.

Yamcha dropped Fujiko's hand and turned his attention back to what was in front of him. He yelped and grabbed the steering wheel, pulling the car higher up into the air before it could crash into the side of a tall building. He let out a long string of curses, breathing heavily. He turned and looked at Fujiko when everything had settled down and their journey to Capsule Corp. became smooth again.

"You okay?"

Fujiko held her left hand in her right; the palm tingled where he had kissed her. She nodded, not taking her eyes off of her palm.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said slowly, as if she were lost in thought.

"That was scary." Puar shuddered. "I thought we were going to crash!"

Yamcha looked at Fujiko, thinking that she might have been in shock. He put a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention.

"I'm really sorry about that." He said, giving her a sideways glance without moving his head ("_Just keep your eyes on what's in front of you, Yamcha, not the babe sitting next to you._" He repeated the thought like some sort of mantra). "I'm usually a good driver. You're just very distracting."

"Oh, thanks." She chuckled, nuzzling her chin against his hand.

"No, I'm serious. I mean it in a good way." He smirked and took his hand from her shoulder to press a button in front of him. "Guess what? We're here."

Fujiko felt like vomiting just then. She had completely forgotten where they were going and now that she remembered, the sick feeling in her stomach returned ten-fold. Her heart pounded as the car slowly descended towards the large yellow building below them. She looked out the window, eyeing the building next to her.

"Fujiko? Babe? You okay?" Yamcha put his hand on her shoulder again. "You're shaking!"

Fujiko realized that she was, indeed, shaking – uncontrollably, as if she were outside in the middle of a snowstorm in her underwear. She hadn't been _that_ nervous since high school. Her teeth were _chattering_!

"Are you okay?" Yamcha asked. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No, I just . . ." She couldn't speak; she couldn't find the right words.

"Are you cold? Stupid question, I know but still . . ." Yamcha unbuckled and shrugged off his jacket then handed it to her. "Here."

"No, really." She looked at him and faked a smile. "It's all right, I'm just a little nervous."

Yamcha leaned over and kissed Fujiko on the lips. They stayed there for a moment until Puar giggled, covering her face with her paws. Yamcha slowly pulled away from Fujiko and, when she opened her eyes, gave her a wide smile that filled her with a wondrous calm feeling. She felt safe.

"You're gonna be fine." He said softly as if trying to soothe her. "Trust me. Puar or I'll be with you the entire time. I won't let you out of my sight."

Feeling reassured, Fujiko unbuckled and leaned over to kiss Yamcha on the cheek.

"You're such a wonderful man, did you know that?" She said before getting out of the car.

Yamcha and Puar followed her lead and the three made their way to the front doors. Fujiko marveled at the size of the place – she had never seen someone's house as gigantic as that. She suddenly envied Bulma (and she hadn't even met her yet!) and she wondered what had happened between Bulma and Yamcha, why they weren't together. And who the hell was Vegeta? Yamcha hadn't told her much about Vegeta except that that was whom Bulma was with now. Was Bulma a lesbian and Vegeta was her girlfriend? That would definitely explain why Bulma and Yamcha were no longer together.

Yamcha put an arm protectively around Fujiko's waist as the three entered the building through the automatic doors. A cheery blonde woman greeted them. Fujiko thought the woman was strange for keeping her eyes closed the entire time she spoke to them.

"Oh, Yamcha!" The woman said; she had a slight New York accent. "It's so good to see you again! How are you?"

"I've been good, Mrs. Briefs." Yamcha scratched the back of his head. "Do you know where everyone is?"

"Oh, in the banquet room by the kitchen. Oh!" Mrs. Briefs let out a laugh as she noticed Fujiko. "Hello, dear! I'm Bunny Briefs!"

Fujiko shook Mrs. Briefs hand and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Fujiko."

"Oh, Yamcha! It's about time you got a new girlfriend! Have fun, you guys!" Mrs. Briefs gave them a small wave then pranced off, disappearing up a flight of stairs.

"Who was that?" Fujiko asked, looking at Yamcha as they walked towards the kitchen.

"That was Bulma's mom." Yamcha smiled. "She's a really neat lady."

The three entered the kitchen to see that four women occupied it – one Fujiko recognized right away as Bulma.

"Hold still, babe, you got something on your face." Bulma said, taking the chin of a blonde woman in her hand and wiping something off of her face. "There."

"I could have done it myself, you know." The blonde woman said, leaning against the island counter with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm a grown woman."

Fujiko figured that the blonde woman must have been Vegeta. A woman with dark hair pulled up into a bun was the first to notice the three in the entryway. Her face lit up with recognition and she grinned.

"Hey! Yamcha's here!" The woman said, snapping a towel at Bulma and a dark haired younger woman.

Bulma turned her attention to the entryway of the kitchen and smiled at Yamcha.

"Hey, you!" She said cheerfully, running towards him and throwing her arms around him in a friendly hug.

"Hey, Bulma!" Yamcha laughed, returning the hug. Fujiko hoped that no one noticed her eye twitched.

"We were wondering when you were gonna show up! Everyone's in the other room – hopefully, there's still some food."

"Yeah, if those Saiyans didn't it eat it all." The older dark haired woman laughed. "How have you been, Yamcha?"

"Pretty good, ChiChi." Yamcha ran a hand through his hair. "You?"

"Oh, you know, same as always." ChiChi finally noticed Fujiko and gave her a friendly little smile. "And who's this?"

Every eye in the kitchen was suddenly fixated on Fujiko. The blonde woman's icy blue eyes flitted over Fujiko, an uninterested look on her face. The younger dark haired woman just smiled kindly at Fujiko. Bulma took a few steps away from Yamcha, her hands on her hips.

"This is Fujiko." Yamcha cleared his throat. "She's my . . . girlfriend."

Bulma's face visibly twitched. The aqua haired woman took a few steps towards Fujiko, eyeing her up and down repeatedly. The first thing that Fujiko noticed about the woman in front of her was that they were wearing the same dress – except Bulma's was dark green. Bulma must have noticed it too because the disapproving look on her face turned into a scowl. Things were not looking so good to Fujiko at the moment, but she faked a smile and pretended that it didn't faze her.

"It's very nice to meet you." Fujiko said, trying to sound friendly as she extended a hand out to Bulma.

"I bet it is." Bulma said snottily, looking at Fujiko's hand as if it were diseased. "I'm Bulma."

The room was filled with a strange heavy tension. ChiChi cleared her throat and picked up a giant bowl of egg salad from the counter in front of her.

"I better get this out there." She said, turning towards the younger dark haired woman. "Videl, would you get the other one?"

"Sure." The younger woman nodded, picked up another large bowl of egg salad and followed ChiChi through an automatic sliding door to the other room.

Fujiko began sizing Bulma up as well, seeing as how the latter hadn't stopped.

"Hey, Puar. Why don't you and Fujiko go get us a table in the other room?" Yamcha asked, trying to break the tension. "I gotta talk to Bulma for a second."

"Sure!" Puar flew ahead to the automatic door, Fujiko following after her.

Fujiko stopped as she passed the blonde woman with the intense blue eyes and smiled at her.

"It's also very nice to meet you, Vegeta."

At first the blonde seemed confused. She looked around her then back at Fujiko.

"Are you talking to me?" She asked, pointing to herself.

Fujiko hesitantly nodded, her suspicions of the woman being Vegeta dwindling away into nothing. The blonde's eyes widened, an amused smirk on her face as she let out a condescending bark of laughter. The looks on Bulma and Yamcha's faces were priceless – Bulma looked angry, shocked and insulted, Yamcha looked embarrassed and yet slightly amused. Fujiko bit her lip and turned back to Puar.

She followed the cat into the large room but stopped again when she saw all the people – they were all standing around, laughing, eating, or standing at the buffet table and scooping tons of food onto their plates. Fortunately, nobody had noticed her. She followed Puar to an empty table and sat down on one of the chairs, waiting for Yamcha.

****

"Was that some kind of sick joke?" Bulma growled at Yamcha, flinging her arm out to the door Fujiko had just walked out.

"Did she just call me 'Vegeta'?" Eighteen asked, the amused smirk never leaving her face. "Should I be insulted or complimented?"

"Did you tell her that Vegeta was a woman? Did you tell her I was a lesbian?"

"No, Bulma! I swear, I –"

"Then what the _hell_ was that, Yamcha?"

"That was just a misunderstanding!" Yamcha stammered, trying to cover for Fujiko's mistake. "I didn't tell her that Vegeta was a woman, I didn't even tell her that much about Vegeta!"

"Why would you even bring that _tramp_ over here, Yamcha?" Bulma asked, raising her voice. "There are _children_ here, if you didn't know!"

"Bulma, what're you talking about? She was dressed perfectly normal, nothing exposed or anything."

"And what skuzzy little strip club did you pick up this little jewel from?" Bulma asked sarcastically.

"I actually didn't meet her in a strip club."

"Oh?" Bulma cocked an eyebrow. "Where then?"

"Well, at a bar but –"

"Oh, that's even _better_!"

Eighteen saw a bowl of popcorn next to her on the island counter. She pulled the bowl closer to her and began eating it as she watched Yamcha and Bulma's little fight.

"I can't believe you, Yamcha. This is a gathering for friends and family, not for whores."

"Now that's where I draw the line!" Yamcha snapped, pointing a finger at Bulma's face. "Fujiko is _not_ a whore. She's nowhere near being a whore, her name doesn't even belong in the same _sentence _as that word!"

Bulma looked taken aback at Yamcha's outburst. Her eyes narrowed and she bit Yamcha's finger hard. Eighteen couldn't help but chuckle.

"Get your finger outta my face." Bulma snapped.

"Just give her a chance, Bulma." Yamcha pleaded, his hands together as if in prayer. "She's a wonderful woman and . . . I really like her."

Bulma sighed, rolling her eyes skyward. She gave Yamcha a small smile and a half shrug.

"I guess I could give her a chance – _one_ chance, Yamcha."

"Good." Yamcha smiled down at her and gave her a quick friendly kiss on the cheek. "I think you'll really like her, she's a lot like you."

"You're pathetic." Bulma shot back jokingly, playfully shoving him back.

"Well, you obviously have the same tastes." Eighteen pointed out, setting the bowl of popcorn back down on the island counter. "Clothes _and_ men."

"And she's really smart, too!" Yamcha said, ignoring the last thing Eighteen said. "She's been all over the world a few times."

"Oh, stop your yammering and go explain to her who Vegeta _really_ is!" Bulma said, shoving Yamcha towards the door.

****

Fujiko sat alone at the table, fiddling with her fingers. Puar had taken off to greet everyone and Yamcha was still in the kitchen with Bulma and the blonde woman. Now, she was all alone and feeling very self-conscious. She was trying hard to look like nothing was bothering her, but it was hard. Having Yamcha at her side was becoming something like a security blanket and being surrounded by a bunch of people she didn't know without him left her feeling very exposed.

She looked around the room, taking it all in without making eye contact with anyone. The room had a windowed ceiling, exotic plants, trees and flowers decorated the room, there was a stage at the far corner of the room with sparkling gold and silver instruments, a gold drum set with the Capsule Corp. logo on it sat right in the middle of the stage.

"_These people sure know how to throw one hell of a party._" Fujiko thought before jerking her head back to the door she had come out of. "_What is he doing in there?_"

She heard rustling behind her and she turned to see two little boys peeking at her from behind a shrub. She smiled at them and waved them over. Even though Fujiko said that she disliked kids, she really didn't. It always brought a small smile on her face whenever she saw little children playing or sleeping babies in strollers. Who could seriously dislike children?

"There's no use hiding, you two, I see you."

The two little boys came out of the bush and shuffled over to Fujiko; the shorter one of the two, the spiky dark-haired one, had a shy little expression on his face while the other, the lavender-haired one, looked more serious and curious.

"Are you lost?" The lavender-haired boy asked, looking up at her. "Are you a new employee? I've never seen you before. Usually my mom doesn't have anybody work on the weekends."

Fujiko realized what the little boy was getting at and suspected that the little purple-haired boy must have been Bulma's son. She smiled at him.

"No, sweetheart, I don't work here. I'm here with Yamcha." She shook the little boy's hand. "I'm Fujiko."

"I'm Trunks." The boy said, giving her a friendly smile and pointing to the spiky dark-haired little boy standing next to him. "And this is Goten."

"Hi, I'm Goten!" Goten chirped, waving frantically.

"I just said that, stupid." Trunks rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, boys." She said, looking them over – they were the epitome of adorable.

"Are you Yamcha's girlfriend?" Goten asked, bouncing onto Fujiko's lap.

"Goten! " Trunks said, warning the shorter boy. "Sorry about Goten, he's kinda . . . special."

"Hey!" Goten pouted.

Fujiko chuckled and took Goten's chin in her hand, making him look at her.

"Actually, I am Yamcha's girlfriend, sweetheart."

"Are you two gonna get married?" Trunks asked, standing closer to Fujiko.

She smiled at Trunks, glad that he dropped the serious uptight act of his and began acting like a curious child like he should have been. She ruffled his hair, marveling at what a beautiful color it was.

"We might, but it's too soon to tell."

"Hey!" Goten bounced, cupping Fujiko's face in his hands. "Do you like cake? My mom made some!"

"Yeah, and it's really good!" Trunks agreed, tugging on the hem in an attempt to regain Fujiko's attention. "Do you want some?"

"Well, sure." She smiled warmly at them; they were certainly sweet little boys.

"I'll go get it!" Goten offered, jumping down from Fujiko's lap.

"No, I will!" Trunks said, pulling Goten back and running ahead of him towards the buffet table.

Fujiko laughed as she watched the boys run to the buffet table, slapping and pushing at each other. They weren't even ten years old and they were already vying for Fujiko's attention. She set her chin on the palm of her hand, resting her elbow on the table. She crossed her legs, turning her attention back to the door when she heard it slid open. She smiled at Yamcha as he entered the party room. He matched her smile with a bigger one of his own as he started making his way over to her.

"Hey, Yamcha!"

Yamcha stopped and turned to the voice, a look of slight confusion on his face. It took him a full minute to recognize who it was that was speaking to him and when he did, his face lit up with recognition.

"Tien!" Yamcha jogged over to the bigger man. "How have you been, man? I haven't seen you in forever."

"I've been good, actually." Tien smirked and punched Yamcha in the shoulder. "Chaotzu and I've been living up in the mountains for a while."

"It snows all the time!" Chaotzu piped up, appearing on Tien's shoulder. "It's so cold!"

"Yeah, snow usually is, buddy." Yamcha joked.

Yamcha remembered something and he snapped his fingers, startling Tien and Chaotzu.

"I will be right back!" Yamcha said, holding his hands out to them as if telling them to stay put before running towards the table Fujiko was sitting at.

She looked up from the slice of cake she was eating to see Yamcha standing right next to her, an apologetic look on his face.

"I am so sorry. My friend – I haven't seen him for a few years." Yamcha saw in the corner of his eye Trunks and Goten staring up at him from their spot on the table. "Didn't your mothers tell you not to sit on the table, you little imps?"

The boys laughed and jumped up. Fujiko watched in surprise as the little boys flew over to Yamcha and gave him a hug before flying away. She blinked, watching them for a second before turning to Yamcha. She pointed after the boys.

"Did . . . Did those boys just . . .?"

"C'mon, I want you to meet some people." Yamcha interrupted, grabbing her by the hand and hoisted her up from her seat.

He put an arm around her shoulders as they two quickly fell into step, making their way over to the big bald man with –what looked like, to Fujiko – a child sitting on his shoulder.

"Hey, Tien! I want you to meet someone."

The big bald man turned around and Fujiko gasped, her eyes widening. She didn't mean to and she could tell by the look on the man's face that she had insulted him. He sighed and the look on his face became indifferent.

"This is Fujiko." Yamcha said proudly. "Fujiko, this is Tien."

"Hello." Tien nodded, smiling politely.

"I'm – I'm so sorry, I've never seen somebody who has three eyes before." Fujiko stammered. "I'm mean, it's quite shocking really."

"Fujiko!" Yamcha laughed nervously. "Sorry about that, Tien."

"Really, it's all right. I'm used to it." Tien smiled at Fujiko and blinked his third eye, which made her gasp again.

"It's works!" She said with a childlike wonder. "I thought it might have just been a tattoo or something but it's real!"

"Fujiko . . ." Yamcha groaned, rolling his eyes upwards as if asking some holy being above to help him.

"Yep, it's 100% real." Tien's smile stayed on his face, amused with Fujiko's reaction to his extra appendage.

"Can I touch it?" Fujiko asked, reaching out.

"Fujiko, stop it!" Yamcha, completely embarrassed, grabbed Fujiko's hand before she could poke Tien and held it tightly in his own, entwining his fingers with her. "I'm really sorry, Tien. You understand, don't you? She's not . . ."

"I understand completely." Tien chuckled.

Fujiko finally noticed the 'child' on Tien's shoulder. She smiled at him and picked him up.

"Aren't you cute?" She cooed, poking at Chaotzu's cheek. "Are you Tien's son?"

"Nope! I'm Chaotzu!" The little emperor grinned up at Fujiko.

"Oh, you're just like a little doll!" Fujiko hugged the tiny man to her body, holding him as if she were holding a toddler.

"Fujiko, he's a full grown man." Yamcha pointed out.

Chaotzu squirmed out from Fujiko's grasp and flew back to Tien's shoulders.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She gave the two in front of her an apologetic smile. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Yes, you too." Tien and Chaotzu said together as Yamcha pulled Fujiko back to the table where her purse was.

"Fujiko, what're you doing?" Yamcha whispered frantically, his eyes darting from her face back to Tien and Chaotzu. "Those were two of my oldest friends and you made them look like sideshow freaks!"

"I wasn't trying to, Yamcha, I swear!" Fujiko moved a loose strand of hair out of her face. "It's not my fault, though! You didn't tell me he had three eyes!"

"I did too!"

"I have a very good memory, Yamcha, and you didn't say anything about Tien having three eyes. Which is a bit strange, actually," She crossed her arms under her chest. "It seems like the type of thing you'd say _first_ when you're describing one of your friends."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I should have told you about him." He smiled down at her and put his hands on her upper arms. "You need to promise me that you won't do something like that again, okay? Some of my friends get offended easily."

"I'm not a child, Yamcha." She smirked then kissed him. "It was an accident, it won't happen again."

"Okay. Now, c'mon. I want you to meet Goku." Yamcha grabbed Fujiko's hand again and pulled her over to a table by the stage where several people were standing.

****

The three men sat, slumped over the bar counter with their drinks in hand. Empty bottles and glasses were scattered around the three in a semi-circle.

"Y'know what!" Lupin slurred, slamming a hand down on the counter. "I'm in love with her! I admit it, I am! I can't stand being away from her and now that she's with that Werewolf Dim Sum guy, it's driving me crazy!"

"Lupin, Lupin, Lupin." Jigen just kept repeated his friend's name over and over again while he shook his head. "Lupin, Lupin, Lupin."

"What, man?" Lupin sniffled and let out a pathetic little whimper before wiping his nose of his sleeve.

"I keep – I keep – I keep telling you that – that that woman is no –" Jigen hiccupped. "No good for you. You could do so much better."

"Jigen's rizzight, Lupin!" Goemon shouted drunkenly, lifting a half empty bottle of sake in his hand. "You need to drop that bizzitch like a sack pizzatoes!"

"You – You think so?" Lupin sniffled again, looking at Goemon.

He made a mental note to himself about never getting Goemon drunk without a video camera near by. Goemon nodded slowly and dramatically, his long hair falling in his face.

"For shizzle!" Goemon exclaimed.

"Thanks, guys!" Lupin choked out before he started sobbing, throwing his arms around Goemon and Jigen's shoulders. "I love you!"

"We love you, too, buddy!" Goemon and Jigen said in unison before the both of them burst into tears. "We feel your pain, man!"

"Get a room!" The bartender said, rolling her eyes as she walked away from the three.

* * *

Ha-ha, so there _wasn't_ a giant cat fight - but that doesn't mean that there _won't_ be one in the future.;):P Am I the only one who thinks of the chorus of "Anti Matter" by N.E.R.D. when picturing Bulma and Fujiko fighting?:P Can't you just see Bulma lunging at Fujiko, screaming "You punk bitch!" while everyone else stands by, watching?:P


	6. Chapter 6

Oh, wow! I thought I posted this waaaaay before my computer died on me. Heh, I've been working on Chapter 7 this whole time! Well, it's up now so enjoy!:D This wasn't the story I wanted to update first but it is so . . . chyeah, enjoy!:D

* * *

Fujiko stood, wide eyed, as two men in front of her started fighting – throwing wild punches and kicks so fast her eyes could barely keep up. She recognized the taller of the two men (he had the same spiky hair as Goten); he just had to be Goku.

"Hey, hey, hey!" ChiChi shouted to the fighters. "Stop it! You can do that outside when the party's over!"

The fighting stopped almost immediately. The shorter of the two grumbled something under his breath to the taller man, and then turned to Trunks, ordering the boy to tell his mother to hurry up with something. The man Fujiko thought was Goku blinked, seeing something in the corner of his eye. He turned to the direction Fujiko and Yamcha were standing and a giant grin appeared, taking up half his face.

"_Oh, yeah. That has to be Goku_." Fujiko thought.

"Yamcha!" Goku screeched happily, walking towards Yamcha with his arms out to the sides. "When did you get here?"

"Hey, Goku." Yamcha dropped Fujiko's hand instantly as Goku pulled him into a tight embrace. "I just got here a few minutes ago. I see there's still a lot of food left, you didn't eat it all yet."

"Nope!" Goku laughed and scratched at the back of his head. "ChiChi made me promise to leave some for everyone else."

Goku saw Fujiko in the corner of his eye and turned to grin at her.

"Hi, I'm Goku!" He said cheerfully. "Who are you?"

Poor Fujiko. She didn't even have time to say 'Hi, I'm Fujiko' when Goku grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace like the one he had given Yamcha, lifting the poor woman a foot off of the ground. Fujiko looked at Yamcha for help, her eyes wide with surprise. Yamcha laughed out loud as Goku put her back down.

"Goku, I think you might have scared her."

"You smell good!" Goku observed, his wide grin never leaving his face. "What did you say your name was?"

"Fujiko." Fujiko said quickly. That hug had left her breathless.

"Fujiko." Goku repeated, his smile disappearing for a split second as he thought. He turned around and shouted to somebody. "Is this the one you were telling me about, Krillin?"

Fujiko's face flushed instantly as everyone's turned from what they were doing to Goku. People noticed Fujiko and looked her over (some more than others), whispering.

"Yeah, Goku. I think it is." Krillin said, appearing at Goku's side. He shook Fujiko's hand. "Hi, howya doin'? I'm Krillin."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Fujiko." Fujiko smiled at him then turned to Yamcha. "So, you've told your friends about me, huh?"

"Just Krillin." Yamcha chuckled, pushing Krillin playfully. "I didn't know he had a big mouth, though."

"Hey, Goku asked!"

Goku turned back to Fujiko.

"Are you Yamcha's girlfriend?"

Fujiko instantly admired this guy. He had this aura around him that calmed her, made her relax. He had the innocence and naivety of a child but there was something about him – an otherworldly quality to him that Fujiko just couldn't pinpoint.

"Yes, I am." She said proudly; she could feel the corner of her lips pulling back into a smile – that grin of Goku's was infectious.

"Are you going to get married?" Goku looked from Fujiko to Yamcha. "It's about time, Yamcha!"

Goku clapped a hand on Yamcha's shoulder then turned back to the group.

"Hey, everyone!" Goku announced. "Come meet Yamcha's girlfriend, Fujiko!"

Goku pointed and named off everyone in the room – including people Fujiko had already met earlier.

"And that's Vegeta!" Goku said, pointing the scowling man in the corner of the room. "He's kinda a grump, but he's a good guy."

"But . . . I thought Vegeta was a woman." Fujiko looked up at Yamcha.

Vegeta's eye twitched and he glared at Fujiko as everyone else starting snickering.

"That was Krillin's _wife_ you met in the kitchen earlier." Yamcha whispered to her.

"And she is . . .?"

"Eighteen."

"Eighteen?" Fujiko looked at Krillin. "You're dating a teenager?"

"No, her _name_ is Eighteen." Krillin chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "It's a funny story."

"Yeah, one I'll tell her later." Yamcha kissed Fujiko's temple and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Long story short," Fujiko jumped, hearing a sultry yet gruff voice next to her. She turned to see the blonde woman standing next to her, holding a blonde little girl that looked like Krillin. "I'm an android."

"An android?" Fujiko quirked an eyebrow. "Well, that's interesting."

Fujiko looked down at the little girl in Eighteen's arms and wiggled her fingers in a wave. The little girl smiled and waved back. Fujiko looked at Eighteen.

"Is this your daughter? She's so adorable. Can I hold her?"

"Gladly." Eighteen handed Marron to Fujiko. "The little girl's heavy."

"She certainly takes after her father." Fujiko said, poking Marron's cheek.

"Yeah, hopefully she'll grow out of it."

Fujiko looked up at Eighteen, she wasn't sure if the woman was joking or not – the inflection in the woman's voice didn't change. The party resumed, loud music played from a large stereo against a wall and everyone went back to their own business, except for the four adults with the little girl who stayed where they were and talked.

"What's her name?"

"Marron." Eighteen said.

Fujiko looked from Eighteen to Krillin to Yamcha.

"Isn't Marron the name of that _thing_ we saw at that restaurant?"

"Thing?" Eighteen's eye twitched; she didn't like her daughter being referred to a 'thing'.

"We saw the _other_ Marron at a restaurant the other night." Yamcha explained to Eighteen. He turned to Fujiko. "And yes, this little girl is named after that woman we saw the other night."

"Oh." Fujiko looked at Krillin. "So, she must be your ex-girlfriend."

"Yep." Krillin nodded, chuckling.

"So, he _did_ do a lot better." Fujiko said to Yamcha.

Yamcha and Krillin laughed. Eighteen gave Fujiko a slight smile, crossing her arms over her chest. Fujiko cooed and fawned over Marron, making Krillin and Eighteen swell with pride. The unique couple looked at each other, took a few steps back then looked back at Yamcha and Fujiko.

"Hey, Yamcha, put your arm around Fujiko."

Slowly, Yamcha did what Eighteen said, not sure what the blonde women was getting at or what she and her husband were up to. Fujiko leaned into Yamcha, resting her head on his shoulder, which made him blush when Eighteen and Krillin laughed.

"Check him out!" Krillin exclaimed, still laughing. "Mr. Family man! Ya look good together!"

"Thanks, Krillin." Yamcha said through gritted teeth and a fake smile. He was certainly going to punch his short friend in the head the next time they were alone.

"If you ever need one, I'd love to baby-sit Marron." Fujiko said, brushing loose strands of wispy blonde hair out of the little girl's face. "She's adorable."

What the hell was Fujiko saying? Baby-sit? She hadn't baby-sat any kid since high school! Fujiko never gave up her own free time that easily. But the little girl was so adorable; Fujiko couldn't get enough of her. Looking down at the smiling, giggling little girl in her arms, Fujiko felt an unfamiliar feeling in her chest. It startled her at first; she thought she might be having a heart attack or something like it.

She looked up at Yamcha and their eyes locked again. She saw a bittersweet look in his dark eyes and realized that he was thinking the same thing. The two turned away from each other quickly, their faces flushing.

"Well," Yamcha cleared his throat. "I'm gonna get something to drink. Do you need anything, Fujiko?"

"No, I'm good."

"Okay," Yamcha kissed Fujiko's temple. "I'll be right back."

She stayed and talked to Eighteen while and Krillin and Yamcha walked off towards the refreshment table. She glanced back at Yamcha a few times, seeing that he was now lost in the sea of people, socializing. She had a sick feeling that he was going to ditch her again and she tried to ignore it. In the corner of her eye, she could see Bulma and ChiChi standing close together, looking at Fujiko and whispering to each other with drinks in their hands.

"Hey, Eighteen!" Bulma called sweetly. "Can you come over here for a second?"

Eighteen looked back at Bulma and ChiChi then back at Fujiko. She gave the brunette woman that slight smile again, moving a lock of her blonde hair out of her face.

"I'll be back." Eighteen said in her sultry voice. "Don't worry, I won't let Bulma talk shit and put you down."

"Thanks."

The two women looked down at the little girl in Fujiko's arms. She seemed to be preoccupied with playing with Fujiko's necklace.

"Can you watch her for me?" Eighteen asked.

"Yeah, sure." Fujiko nodded before Eighteen walked off towards Bulma and ChiChi.

She felt awkward standing by herself. She kept looking around for Yamcha but he was nowhere to be found. She looked back at the three women to see Bulma looking at her while she was talking to Eighteen. Fujiko looked down at Marron, who looked up at her with wide dark eyes.

"Are you hungry, honey?" Fujiko asked, letting the girl straddle her hip. "Let's go get something to eat, shall we?"

"Okay!"

Fujiko made her way over to the buffet table and picked up a plate with her free hand. She put fruit and vegetables onto the plate, hoping that the little girl would eat it.

"Hi."

Fujiko turned to see the girl with short dark hair and bright blue eyes standing next to her with a soda in her hand standing next to her and with that friendly smile on her face.

"Hi." Fujiko echoed, putting the plate down to shake the girl's hand. "You are . . .?"

"I'm Videl, Gohan's girlfriend."

"Oh." Fujiko looked around. "Which one's Gohan?"

Videl giggled and pointed to a tall dark haired young man talking to an even taller green man with a turban and cape.

"Oh, that nerdy boy."

Videl giggled again and took a sip from her soda, nodding slightly.

"Yep, that's my nerd." Videl turned to Fujiko. "This all must be really bizarre to you."

"To be honest, a little, yes."

"I know how it is." Videl gave Fujiko an understanding smile. "This is fairly new to me, as well. I've been dating Gohan almost a year and I still feel a bit awkward being around Super Saiyans and androids and aliens."

"Super what?" Fujiko blinked.

"Oh, Yamcha didn't tell you about that?" Videl looked slightly embarrassed, as if she had just told a secret.

"No, he didn't."

"Oh, well, it's when –"

"Videl!" Bulma called over in a singsong voice. "Would you come over here for a moment, please?"

Videl nodded then turned back to Fujiko. She gave the older woman an apologetic smile before walking over to Bulma and three other women. Fujiko sighed; she knew what Bulma was doing.

"I'm not going to let this bother me." She said to herself.

"Well, hello there!"

Fujiko turned to a short old man with a walking stick and sunglasses standing next to her. She smiled politely at him.

"Hi."

Fujiko tired her best to ignore the old man as best as she could, turning back to the buffet table.

"So, you're here with Yamcha?"

"Yes, I am."

She nodded, giving him a fake smile. Yamcha had told her all about this old man named Master Roshi – he was a great martial artist but an even greater pervert. Looking him over once, she knew that if push came to shove she could take him. She would be ready for anything that ancient lecher threw her way.

"Oh, _whoops_!" The old man cried out as he 'stumbled' and fell forward, his hand reaching out to squeeze Fujiko's breast. "Clumsy me! I seemed to have lost my footing! Thank goodness for those wonderful lifesavers you've got hidden under your dress."

She rolled her eyes skywards. That was the oldest trick in the book and he actually thought she was going to fall for it? How _old_ was this man to think women actually believed that garbage? Something like that _might_ have worked on that blue-haired bimbo the little blonde girl was named after, but _not_ on someone like Fujiko.

"Yeah, they are pretty wonderful, aren't they?" Fujiko asked, acting innocent enough as she started to slide her dress up her thigh, much to Roshi's excitement. "I've got another wonderful lifesaver under my dress, wanna see?"

She could see the drool spilling from the old man's mouth as he nodded energetically, giggling lecherously. She smirked, feeling the bottom of her garter holster. She lifted her dress up a few more inches almost to the swell of her thigh and grabbed the handle of her gun and whipped it out, pointing right above Roshi's eyes in the middle of his forehead.

"She's a 'Browning M1910'." She smirked at the old man. "Trust me, she's a _total_ lifesaver."

Roshi backed away slowly, chuckling nervously.

"Now, there's no reason to . . . do anything you might . . . regret later, Miss Fujiko."

"See, Miss Browning M1910 is kinda like a lover," Fujiko accentuating the word 'lover' with a jab to Roshi's forehead. "She gets jealous easily, _really_ easily. She's got an incredibly short temper and doesn't like creepy old men grabbing at me."

"All right, all right!" Roshi pleaded. "I was just tryin' to say 'hello' and welcome you."

"Well, hello and thanks, old man."

As Master Roshi scurried off, Fujiko heard collective gasps and soft chuckles from all around the room. Feeling satisfied with the old man's reaction, Fujiko spun her gun around her finger then put it back in its holster. She heard rapid footsteps heading towards and she turned to see Yamcha running to her.

"Fujiko! What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked in a hushed voice when he was closer, his words rushing together.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"You just whipped your gun out and threatened Master Roshi!" Yamcha blinked, seeing a startled Marron in Fujiko's arms. "And in front of the kid, too! If her mother had seen that, you'd be _dead_!"

"Too late." Eighteen said, coolly from behind Yamcha.

Yamcha jumped, hearing Eighteen so close to him. He turned around and gulped.

"Eighteen, I am so sorry! It was an accident."

"Hmph."

Eighteen pushed Yamcha out of the way and stalked up to Fujiko. She took her daughter away from her, keeping eye contact with her. Fujiko felt a little afraid – this woman was very intimidating. Eighteen gave Fujiko that slight smile, moving a loose lock of blonde hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"I would have done the same." Eighteen said coolly, the smile turning into a smirk as she took her daughter from Fujiko. "Next time, put her down first."

"Sure."

Bulma stormed over to the three, a strange look on her face as she tried to remain calm but failed miserably to keep her anger from showing through. She shoved Eighteen out of the way and stood toe to toe with Fujiko.

"I don't know about how they do things where _you_ come from," Bulma spat, puffing her chest out with her hands on her hips in an attempt to look threatening. "But _here_ we don't whip guns out during parties especially if there are _children_ present!"

"Look, lady!" Fujiko snapped, mimicking Bulma's stance. "I wasn't going to actually shoot him, I was only threatening him! I've got more class than that, _trust me_!"

"Class!" Bulma let out a short condescending bark of laughter. "You wouldn't know class if it friggin' bit you on the ass, missy!"

"'Missy'? Who are you trying to be, my mother? I'm pretty sure we're almost the same age! And talk about _hypocritical_! Using words like that – and in front of the children, too!" Fujiko shot back mockingly.

Krillin looked up from his seat on the edge of the stage. He set his drink down and smacked Goku on the chest with the back of his hand until he got his friend's attention.

"What?" Goku looked at Krillin.

"Hand me my bag, would you?"

Goku shrugged and grabbed the back by his feet then handed it to Krillin. Not taking his eyes off of the women several feet away from him, Krillin rummaged around the bag then pulled out a video camera.

"What's that for?" Goku asked, pointing.

"The fireworks are about to start, my friend."

"Oh, boy!" Goku exclaimed, excitedly. "Already? It's not even dark out yet!"

"Not _those_ kind of fireworks, ya big lug!" Krillin rolled his eyes then pointed to Bulma and Fujiko. "_That_ kind!"

"Oh." Goku said, not fully understanding. He blinked as the words sunk in. "Oh!"

"Yeah, 'oh'." Krillin muttered, turning the camera on. "Hold this for me, camera man."

"Sure."

Goku positioned the camera on his shoulder as Krillin jumped in front of the camera, holding a plastic wand that belonged to his daughter as a makeshift microphone.

"Hello and welcome, everybody." He spoke into the pink star at the top of the wand with the calm hushed voice of announcer of a nature show. "We're about to witness one of the biggest event of the year! This could be bigger than Freeza, bigger than Buu, bigger than Cell!"

"Bigger than Cell? Really?" Goku adjusted the camera, turning to film and zoom in on Fujiko and Bulma. "That'll be intense!"

"Ahem! Enough from the peanut gallery!" Krillin shot a look at Goku before turning to look at the bickering women. "The biggest cat fight in the history of cat fights is about to take place. Let's get a little bit closer, shall we?"

Krillin gestured to Goku who followed him to a table nearby the women.

"Wait, Krillin! Did you say something about 'peanuts'?"

Krillin rolled his eyes and groaned at Goku's stupidity.

"Are they salted or honey roasted or –"

"Goku, shut up or we're gonna get caught. Keep your camera on Bulma and Fujiko."

Yamcha looked from his ex-girlfriend to his new girlfriend as their bickering escalated to a shouting match. He pushed himself in between them, forcing them apart.

"Ladies, ladies! Please, don't do this!" He pleaded, pushing them away from each other. He turned to Bulma. "Bulma, it was an accident! She won't do it again! And you said you'd give her a chance!"

"Give her a chance?" Bulma growled, glaring at Fujiko from over Yamcha's shoulders. "Give that _hussy_ a chance? No way in hell! You can forget it!"

"Good!" Fujiko shot back, standing on her toes to get a better look at Bulma. "I don't need any of your pity!"

"Bulma, Fujiko, please!" Yamcha begged, looking from one to the other.

"Stay outta this! We can handle this!" They screamed at him, shoving him out of the way hard and standing toe-to-toe again.

Yamcha turned towards the back of the room, giving Vegeta a look that begged the Saiyan prince for help. Vegeta smirked; between the progressing catfight and the look Yamcha was giving him, he was quite amused. Secretly, he _wanted_ to see a catfight. He turned to his son that stood at his side with a confused look on his face.

"Trunks!" He barked, grabbing his son's attention. "Take Kakarot's boy and go to your room."

"'Kay." Trunks nodded then turned to Goten. "C'mon, Goten."

The two little boys ran from the room while everyone else turned their attention to Fujiko and Bulma. Slowly, a circle had begun to form around the women.

"I'm sick of the looks you've been giving me ever since I walked in!" Fujiko growled at the blue-haired women standing in front of her. "Grow up, Bulma! You're not in high school anymore!"

"Do you even know who I am?" Bulma shouted. "I could have you killed!"

"I could kill you _myself_!"

"Bitch!"

"Prom queen!"

Bulma lunged at Fujiko, knocking her to the ground. The circle of people around them erupted with shocked gasps. Fujiko kicked Bulma in the stomach hard, forcing the woman off of her. Bulma fell back, temporarily dazed, then jumped back up. She pulled her earrings off and slammed them and her other pieces of jewelry onto the table next to her as Fujiko did the same, following with her gun.

"Let's do this!" Fujiko growled, getting into a fighting stance.

"Bring it on, bitch!" Bulma screamed.

The women charged forwards and attacked each other; biting, hair pulling, slapping, kicking, elbowing, scratching and ripping clothes.

Krillin turned Goku, popping up in front of the camera with a frantic look on his face.

"Are you getting this? Are you getting this?" He asked into the camera.

"I am! I am!" Goku nodded energetically from behind the camera.

Several times, Yamcha tried to jump in and break the fight apart but each time, he ended up getting either kicked in the shin (or somewhere else, which made the other men in the room cringe) or punched in the jaw then tossed out. Vegeta forced his way into the circle and watched the brawl between his wife and Fujiko, arms crossed over his chest. Fujiko shoved Bulma hard, making the woman stumble back. Before Bulma could fall, Vegeta caught her and held her back from resuming her attack on Fujiko.

"Let me go, Vegeta!" Bulma shouted, squirming in an attempt to escape Vegeta's grasp. "Let me go right now or else!"

Before Fujiko could punch Bulma in the stomach, Yamcha caught her by the wrist and twisted her arm behind her back; his grip tight enough to keep her under control but not tight enough to hurt her. He grabbed her other arm and pinned it to her body, pulling her back and away from the circle.

"Wha- Yamcha! What're you doing?" Fujiko asked, trying to break free.

"Outside." He said lowly. "We need to talk."

"But –" Fujiko's head swiveled back to Bulma. "_She_ started it!"

Yamcha couldn't believe it – this was exactly what he didn't want to happen! He was unbelievably angry with both Bulma and Fujiko. He could hear Bulma screaming obscenities at Fujiko as he led her out of the room and out of the building. Yamcha stopped and spun Fujiko around to face him.

"What in the hell was that, Fujiko? What're you trying to do?"

"That woman is impossible!" Fujiko exclaimed, pointing to building. "She's been giving me looks and whispering about me the whole time we've been here!"

"That woman happens to be one of my oldest friends! I can't believe you would do something like that!" Yamcha grabbed his hair. "Are you trying to get my friends to hate you?"

"No! That's not it!"

"Then what is it?"

"If _you_ hadn't have left me all by myself, that old pervert wouldn't have bothered me and this whole fight could have been avoided!"

"Oh, so it's _my_ fault now?"

"Yes, it is!" She shouted, getting closer to him, which made him take a step back. "You knew how I felt about all of this! You promised you weren't going to let me out of your sight but then you ditched me as soon as you got a chance!"

"Fujiko," He sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. "Look, I'm really sorry. I just got caught up with catching up with my friends; I haven't seen them for a while."

"What's a super Saiyan?" She asked suddenly.

"What?" He blinked.

"What's a super Saiyan?"

"Where did you hear about that?"

"From that girl Videl. She said she knew how I felt, that she still felt awkward around aliens, androids and super Saiyans."

Yamcha sighed and straightened up. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's what Goku and Vegeta are. They're the last of this extraterrestrial race called the Saiyans. Vegeta is the prince of all Saiyans, which just happens to be down to five – three are half human, half Saiyan. Super Saiyan is this legend and . . ." He looked at the unbelieving look on Fujiko's face. "What?"

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes, I am. I swear."

"Vegeta's a prince?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes, he is. Or king now, I dunno."

"Wouldn't that make Bulma a . . . princess? Or a queen."

"Yeah, I guess." Yamcha shrugged.

Fujiko was silent for a moment, her eyes wide as she looked up at Yamcha.

"Shit." She muttered. "I messed up big time, didn't I?"

"A little bit, yeah, but if you go apologize _right now_ I'm sure Bulma would forgive you and everything would go back to normal." Yamcha leaned down and kissed Fujiko on the forehead.

"Hey!" Fujiko and Yamcha turned to the doors of Capsule Corp. to see Goku standing in the doorway.

"Everything okay out here?" Goku asked, walking over to them.

"Yeah, we're fine." Yamcha smiled from Goku to Fujiko. "Just clearing some things up."

Goku chuckled then looked at Fujiko, who was staring up at him intently.

"Is there something on my face?" He asked, putting a hand to his face. "Is it food or something?"

"What's a Super Saiyan?" Fujiko asked.

"Fujiko, I just told you!" Yamcha looked down at her.

"Yeah, but you didn't say much." Fujiko replied, looking up at him then turning to Goku. "What's a Super Saiyan?"

"Well, uh . . . it's, uh . . ." Goku looked at Yamcha then back at Fujiko. "I guess I better show you."

Fujiko and Yamcha watched Goku power up and turn into a Super Saiyan. Fujiko's eyes widened when she saw him transform. Goku smirked then powered down, returning to normal. Fujiko looked at Yamcha, her eyes still wide.

"Can that Vegeta guy do that, too?"

"Yeah."

"Jesus Christ!" Fujiko exclaimed. "She really _could_ have me killed! I have to apologize right now!"

"Well, she's getting cleaned up. You scratched her up pretty bad, Fujiko."

"I am so sorry!" Fujiko cried, hiding from Goku behind Yamcha. "Please, don't hurt me! I'm so, so sorry!"

"Hey, hey! It's okay, really!" Goku chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not the person you should be apologizing to."

"Where's Bulma?" Fujiko looked at Goku, who pointed to the Capsule Corp. building.

"Inside, getting cleaned up. I'll help you find her, you could get lost in there."

Yamcha gave Goku a look, as if he wasn't really sure that it was a good idea for his friend to go. Goku flashed Yamcha his signature carefree smile as Fujiko rushed into the building.

"Don't worry, Yamcha. If anything happens, I can take care of it."

"Yeah, you're a lot stronger than I am. You wouldn't be able to be tossed out of their catfight if they had another one."

Goku laughed and clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder as the two went back into the building.

"Go back to the party and enjoy yourself."

"Sure thing, Goku." Yamcha turned to Fujiko and kissed her on the temple. "Don't start another fight, okay?"

"I promise." She smiled at him as he walked away to rejoin the party.

Goku took her upstairs to a room. Vegeta stood next to the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and his usual angry expression on his face.

"Hey, Vegeta!"

Fujiko noticed Vegeta visibly cringe at the sound of Goku's cheery voice. He turned to glare at the bigger man then glanced at Fujiko. He smirked at her, which made her jump behind Goku in fear.

"What is it, Kakarott?" Vegeta glanced at Fujiko again, which made her yelp and duck behind Goku. "And what's Yamcha's woman doing here?"

"She wanted to talk to Bulma."

"Oh?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow, a slightly amused look on his face. "Really?"

"She didn't come to fight, she wanted to apologize."

"Oh." Vegeta's face went back to its normal expression as he jerked his head towards the room. "She's in there."

Goku looked back at Fujiko, who hesitantly made her way towards the door. In the corner of her eye, she could see Vegeta giving her a smug look.

"Boo." He said flatly, which sent Fujiko screaming and running into the room.

"Vegeta!" Goku reprimanded, giving Vegeta a look as he crossed his arms over his own chest. "That wasn't very nice! You scared her!"

"Well, I'm not a very nice person, am I?" Vegeta replied before walking off. "I'm going back to the party; it seems you've got this under control."

****

Fujiko looked around the large extravagant bedroom, taking it all in.

"Vegeta?" Bulma called from Fujiko's left. "Is that you?"

Fujiko took a deep breath and briskly made her way over to the room Fujiko suspected was a bathroom; perhaps Bulma was in there. She saw the door was ajar and knocked.

"Vegeta?" Bulma said again.

"No, it's me." Fujiko answered, opening the door a little bit more and sticking her head in. "It's Fujiko."

"What do _you_ want?" Bulma asked snottily as she tended to a cut on her knee. "Did you come to rip more of my hair out?"

"No, I came to apologize." Fujiko replied, entering the small bathroom.

Bulma stopped what she was doing and looked over at Fujiko. She blinked, surprised by Fujiko's answer.

"You what?"

"I want to apologize for what I did. I'm sorry."

Bulma blinked again and took her foot off of the toilet seat, the cut on her knee temporarily forgotten.

"You're . . . You're sorry?"

"It really was an accident. I wasn't going to shoot that dirty old man, I just wanted to scare him a little and I never intended on fighting with you."

"Oh, wow . . ." Bulma said softly. "I . . . I guess, I'm sorry too."

Fujiko let out a small sigh of relief; at least, the women weren't that stubborn to admit that they had been wrong and apologize.

"Your arm is bleeding." Bulma said after a moment of silence, pointing to Fujiko's arm. "Did I cut you or something?"

"I have no idea."

The two looked each other over, taking in all the bruises and cuts and scraps they had given each other. Bulma had a sickly bruise forming on the side of her face; Fujiko had prominent finger-shaped bruises around her neck.

Bulma handed Fujiko a bottle of peroxide and a box of band-aids then went back to tending her knee. Fujiko sat on the bathroom counter and began nursing her many Bulma-inflicted wounds. The two took care of themselves in silence until Bulma grabbed Fujiko's hand and pulled it closer to her face. Fujiko blinked and looked at Bulma with a bewildered look on her face as the blue-haired woman examined the brunette's hand.

"You bite your nails." Bulma looked up at Fujiko.

"It's a nervous habit." Fujiko answered, yanking her hand away. "I've been trying to stop."

Bulma stood up and opened up the medicine cabinet next to Fujiko. She took out a nail polish bottle filled with a clear liquid and handed it to Fujiko.

"This helps, trust me." Bulma smiled kindly. "I've had the same problem."

****

Yamcha sat in between Krillin and Tien at a table, chatting aimlessly. He kept glancing at the door, wondering when Fujiko would return. The sliding doors finally opened and what he saw shocked him beyond belief. He lost his balance and fell backwards onto the ground.

Fujiko and Bulma had walked back into the party, arm in arm, laughing as if their fight had never happened. Goku followed in after them, his classic grin on his face. Everyone else looked at the two women, confused beyond all belief. Yamcha got up with the help of Tien and then stumbled over to the two women as if he had had too much to drink.

"Fujiko! Bulma! What's going on?"

"Oh, settle down, Yamcha." Bulma rolled her eyes. "Would you just relax? I thought you wanted me to be friends with her."

"But – but – but –"

"Honey, just calm down." Fujiko lovingly cupped his face in her hands. "Everything is okay now."

"I didn't think you guys would become _that_ chummy so fast."

"Well, that's always been one of your biggest problems, Yamcha. You don't think!" Bulma joked.

Fujiko laughed and the two walked off towards the other women, leaving Yamcha alone and confused. He turned, seeing someone standing next to him in the corner of his eye. He looked up to see Goku giving him his classis carefree grin.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just . . . uh . . . I don't know if this was such a good idea."

"Everything's okay now, there's nothing to worry about."

Yamcha looked back at Fujiko as she and the other women laughed about something. He looked back at Goku and nodded.

"You're right, Goku. Everything seems okay now."

Yamcha turned back to the women and made his way over to them. He snuck up behind Fujiko, slowly snaking his arms around her stomach and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Hey, babe." He whispered in her ear before kissing her on the cheek.

"Hi, honey." She said sweetly, gently patting the side of his face with a hand.

"Are you guys talking about me?" He asked, looking at the women.

"Conceited as always." ChiChi joked, rolling her eyes and retrieving a few laughs from the other women.

Before Yamcha had a chance to retort, somebody turned the music up to almost it's full volume. Fujiko gasped, breaking away from Yamcha's embrace and turning to face him.

"I love this song!" She exclaimed, extending her hand out to him. "Dance with me?"

He barely had a chance to answer when Fujiko grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the women and to the dance floor. He stood in the dead center of the floor, feeling as if he were being put on the spot as Fujiko began dancing. Yamcha could hear some his friends snickering and whispering about him and he felt his face growing red with embarrassment.

"Come on, dance with me!" Fujiko laughed, thinking nothing of the whispers and snickers.

Yamcha felt stiff and uncomfortable. He was about to sneak off the dance floor when the lights were suddenly turned off and a strobe light started going off. He started to relax a little when he noticed the rest of the women appear on the dance floor. He wondered why, at either parties or at clubs, it was always the women who started dancing first. As he had that thought, Bulma grabbed Fujiko by the hand and pulled her away from him. He watched as his ex-girlfriend and new girlfriend began dancing together. He felt someone bumped into him and he turned to see almost everyone on the dance floor – even Vegeta and Piccolo. Yamcha's eyes scanned the dark room, the strobe light illuminating his friends for brief seconds.

"Well, what the hell?" He shrugged.

He left the dance floor for a minute to take his jacket off and drape it over the back of a chair before jumping back into the dancing group of people. He let go of his inhibitions and began dancing.

****

Lupin leaned against Jigen, sobbing as the other man struggled to get the door to Lupin's hotel room open. Jigen kept muttering profanities under his breath every time the key missed the lock. The three men had been drinking all afternoon and were completely wasted.

"Goemon, can you help me with this, man?" Jigen grumbled as Lupin threw an arm around his shoulder, repeatedly sobbing 'I love her'.

"Fo shizzle." Goemon slurred, pulling Lupin away from Jigen.

Jigen finally got the door open and he and Goemon helped Lupin, obviously the more intoxicated of the three, into the room. Lupin stumbled over to the bed and flopped down, curling himself up into a ball and crying and whimpering himself to sleep. Jigen clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"Pathetic. Makin' himself a giant mess all because of a woman."

"Fo shizzle." Goemon repeated again, slumping down into a chair.

****

The party finally officially ended around six-thirty and it took another twenty minutes for everyone to finish saying goodbye.

"Oh, I just had so much fun today!" Fujiko exclaimed, hugging Bulma tightly. "We should really do this again really soon!"

"Of course!" Bulma laughed as the two pulled away from each other. "It was so nice to meet you, Fuji."

Yamcha stood by his car, waiting with a slight smile on his face as Fujiko went around and hugged everyone goodbye. Twice.

"Oh, I just had so much fun." She said again when she finally got into the car, waving to everyone through the window as they took to the sky. "Your friends are absolutely wonderful."

"They are, aren't they?"

Yamcha glanced at Fujiko, who looked completely exhausted as she rested her head against the window. Puar crawled onto Fujiko's lap and by the time Yamcha reached his apartment complex, the two both asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Have I mentioned how much I _love_ this story??:P Well, everybody, enjoy!:D Big thanks, like always, to Tendo Rei!

* * *

Yamcha's tan hand swiped a burgundy hand towel across the steamy mirror in the bathroom. He smiled at his reflection then began his morning ritual.

The past nine months had been good to him; somehow (with the help of Bulma and Fujiko), he had found another job – one that paid a lot more than his old one did. Things were certainly looking up for him.

But things weren't always perfect; he and Fujiko fought once in a while. Not as often as he and Bulma had, but they fought all the same. It was always about ridiculous things, too. Once Fujiko had gotten upset because Yamcha wasn't paying enough attention to her, another time Yamcha had found a pack of cigarettes and her gun in her purse ("I thought you got rid of that thing!" Yamcha had exclaimed, dropping her purse as if it had turned into a venomous snake, "Don't you know that I can protect you? And don't you know that smoking _kills_?"). That fight kept them from talking to each other for a few days until Puar couldn't take it anymore and begged them to make up.

They had also fought when he found out that Fujiko had manipulated the boss of the company into hiring him and that Bulma had called and threatened the boss (when confronted, Fujiko had shrugged and said "Hey, if you got it, flaunt it!" and Bulma had shouted at him over the phone "You ungrateful little toad! You're lucky I even _thought_ about helping you! I get you a job and this is the thanks I get?").

Other than that, everything was good. Fujiko even got a part-time job (again, thanks to Bulma) as a perfume counter girl in a department store. She baby-sat once in a while when Bulma or ChiChi or Eighteen were too busy and they needed their children out of their hair for a few hours. Fujiko never found baby-sitting to be a hassle, the kids were always so well behaved when they were around her. Fujiko had become close friends with Bulma, ChiChi and Eighteen – especially Bulma; the two were almost inseparable.

Yamcha adjusted the towel around his waist and left the bathroom, steam billowing out as he opened the door. He looked at his peacefully sleeping lover, her body scarcely covered by the crimson satin sheets, her pale skin looking even paler in comparison to the sheet, and smiled to himself as he flung open the closet to pick out his clothes, his eyes flitting over the rainbow of clothes on Fujiko's half of the closet. Yamcha heard shuffling behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see Fujiko sitting up in bed, the sheet wrapped around her body.

"I thought you were taking today off from work." She said through a yawn as she stretched.

"Nope, that's tomorrow." Yamcha answered, turning back to his closet and pulling out a dark gray suit.

"Oh." Fujiko said drowsily as she lay back down. "Can I ask why you took tomorrow off?"

"It's a very special occasion."

"What's so special about it?" She yawned again.

Yamcha folded the suit over his arm and went to his dresser, yanking opening the second drawer where his boxers and socks were.

"Well, for one thing - " Yamcha turned around to see Fujiko curled up into the fetal position, asleep with her hands under her cheek.

He listened to her snoring softly for a moment, a small smile on his face as he began getting dressed. Cautiously, so as to not jostle and wake her again, he sat on the edge of the bed to put on his socks and shoes. He looked back at her, sighing deeply, before leaning over and kissing Fujiko on the forehead.

"Happy anniversary, babe." He whispered.

Fujiko stirred, her eyebrows furrowing in irritation. She wiped her hand across the side of her face and mumbled drowsily.

"Yamcha, you're dripping on me."

Realizing that his hair was still a little wet from his shower, Yamcha stood and went back into the bathroom to blow-dry his hair and spritz a bit of his (and Fujiko's) favorite cologne. He set the bottle of cologne down and smirked as he looked over the array of colorful bottles of expensive perfumes, lotions and other toiletries that belonged to Fujiko on the pink marble counter of the sink.

Checking his watch while snapping the light off, Yamcha left the bathroom. He looked back at Fujiko lovingly as she slept then left the bedroom, slowly closing the door behind him. Puar floated towards him, her happy smile on her face.

"Good morning, Yamcha!" She chirped.

"Morning, Puar." He gave the flying blue shape-shifter a little hug before entering the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast.

"So, is everything set for tomorrow night?" He asked, rummaging through the fridge.

"Yes, the dinner reservations are at eight, and the florist called yesterday afternoon when the two of you were at work to clarify your order."

"Which was . . .?"

"Two dozen long-stem roses, delivered to Fujiko's work today at noon."

"Good." Yamcha stood, kicking the door to the fridge closed. "No, that's more than good. That's great."

A few minutes later, Yamcha said goodbye to Puar then left the apartment for work. If one were to look Yamcha over once, they would never suspect him to be a sentimental man. To him, anniversaries were special, sacred; they weren't to be taken lightly.

He leaned back into his seat, one hand gripping the steering wheel as he continued on his way to work. He had the entire night planned – dinner, dancing, a moonlit walk on the beach and then . . .

Yamcha felt a nervous flutter in his chest as he thought about the last thing he had planned. He felt his face flush and let out a strangled nervous giggle.

"That's reminds me," He said to himself as he parked. "I have to pick it up tonight."

****

Fujiko stretched and yawned as she sat up in bed. She looked to the window, the sun shining brightly and birds chirping behind the curtains. For her, it was such a wonderful thing to wake up to in the morning next to Yamcha; she loved how peaceful and innocent he looked while he slept.

She got out of bed and went to the window, pulling the curtains opened and smiling widely, inhaling deeply. She opened the window, the wide smile never leaving her face.

"What a beautiful day!" She exclaimed, enjoying the view outside.

Fujiko left curtains open and turned, making her way to the bathroom to start a shower.

She lost herself in the hot water, pomegranate scented steam billowing around her, surrounding her. As Fujiko shampooed her hair, she began to hum. She was so completely relaxed that she didn't think anything strange of the bathroom door opening.

"Did you forget something, babe?" She asked over the roar of the water, thinking it was Yamcha.

Fujiko tilted her head back to rinse the shampoo from her hair when the shower curtain was pulled back and she was greeted by a gush of cold air and a very strong, very familiar men's cologne.

"I think the question is did _you_ forget something?"

Fujiko's eyes snapped open and she gasped when she saw Lupin smirking at her, clutching the shower curtain in his hand, his foot on the edge of the tub. Her heart began to pound in her chest, a sickly deathly feeling growing in her stomach as they made eye contact.

Fujiko had been avoiding him ever since his last phone call the day of the Capsule Corp. party. She had been so completely involved with the party that she had forgotten to steal the dragon radar that day. Afraid that Lupin would call sometime during the middle of the night (possibly while she and Yamcha were asleep, which would probably cause Yamcha to become suspicious), Fujiko had thrown her phone out the bedroom window, watching as it smashed against the pavement below.

Her lip trembled as she stared at Lupin. She was afraid and felt completely vulnerable. Then she remembered that she was naked and practically backed up into a corner of the shower. Before she could stop herself, she let out a high-pitched blood-curdling scream that surprised Lupin – for a split second. He dropped his hand from the shower curtain, lunging towards her and cupping a hand to Fujiko's mouth to silence her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He hissed, eye twitching in irritation. "I drop by for a nice little visit and _this_ is how you greet me?"

Lupin jerked his head to the door, hearing a soft knock.

"Fujiko?" Puar asked from behind the door. "Are you okay in there?"

Lupin looked back at Fujiko, removing his hand away from her mouth slowly. Fujiko was immensely frightened by Lupin's presence and by the strange angry look on his face. She actually feared for her life; she had never seen Lupin look at her that way before.

"Fujiko?" Puar called again.

"Answer her." Lupin growled lowly.

Fujiko couldn't get her voice to work. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Fujiko?" Puar said once more.

"I – I'm fine, Puar!" Fujiko choked out, stuttering, her eyes locked on Lupin's. "I just . . . I saw a spider! I'm okay now!"

"Oh, okay."

The bathroom was silent with the exception of the running water. Lupin backed away from Fujiko as soon as he heard the bedroom door close through the bathroom door.

"What're you doing here?" Fujiko asked shakily, pulling the curtain closed. "How did you find me?"

"You act like I'm some amateur, Fujiko." Lupin answered, pulling the curtain back again. "You know I have my ways, baby. And you know that you shouldn't keep a window open when your good friend is a master thief."

"Get out of here!" Fujiko picked up a bottle of body wash, pulling her arm back threateningly and throwing it straight at his head.

Lupin caught the bottle in both hands with the grace and reflexes of a professional football player. He smirked and set the bottle down on the side of the tub.

"C'mon, Fujicakes, don't be that way."

"Get out!" She ordered.

"Oh, I'll leave but we need to talk first."

"I meant get out of the shower!" Fujiko growled, shoving Lupin hard and yanking the shower curtain closed once more. "I'll be out in a minute!"

"You act like I've never seen you naked before, babe!" Lupin joked, stepping back and leaning against the sink counter. "You're not ashamed, are you? So you've got a little cellulite on your thighs but that's nothing a little _ThighMaster_ can't take care of!"

"You pig!" Fujiko exclaimed, turning the water off then snaking her arm through the shower curtain to grab a towel from the towel rack. "I'm not ashamed! And I _don't_ have cellulite! How dare you?"

Lupin grabbed Fujiko's hand before she could retract it back into the shower and kissed it.

"You know I love ya, Fuji, you know I'm just kidding."

"Not funny!" Fujiko yanked her hand from Lupin's grasp, almost dropping the towel.

Lupin snickered to himself as Fujiko's hand disappeared back into the shower. Fujiko made sure that the towel was wrapped securely around her body before pulling back the shower curtain all the way and stepping out of the tub.

"So, what do you want?" Fujiko asked gravely as she grabbed another towel and wrapped her hair up, the fear she felt moments earlier quickly replaced with annoyance. "And hurry up, I have to get ready for work."

"Work?" Lupin blinked. "You're going to pull off a heist in the middle of the day?"

"No, not a heist. Work, _real work_."

"Like a job?"

Fujiko sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes dramatically as wiped the steam from the mirror with a quick frustrated little swipe of her hand.

"Yes, Lupin! I have a part-time job! Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well . . . yeah. The thought of you having a part-time job is kinda . . . what's the word . . . shocking? Unbelievable? Normal?"

"Oh, hush!" She huffed, turning to glare at him. "_I_ can be normal! _I_ can have a normal day-job! _I _can be just like everyone else in the world!"

"Yes, but do you really _want_ to?"

Fujiko faltered, her eyes locked on her reflection. Lupin took her pause as her way of agreeing with him.

"That's what I thought. So, where are you working?"

"Why should I tell you?" She snapped, swiveling to glare at him again. "So you can stalk me there too?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up! I'm not _stalking_ you, Fujicakes, I'm _helping_ you."

She felt angry with him suddenly. She wanted him gone. She wondered what would happen if Yamcha _did_ forget something and came back to find her and Lupin in the bathroom. What would he say? What would he do?

"Get out." She said, opening the bathroom door. "Get out of here right now."

"Are you afraid your boyfriend's gonna find us? Trust me, he won't." Lupin said playfully as he left the bathroom.

"What?" Fujiko followed him out. "Tell me you haven't been stalking him, too!"

"Again, I'm not stalking." Lupin turned back to Fujiko, hands behind his back. "We're on a mission, aren't we? Remember the Dragonballs?"

Fujiko hung her head in shame as Lupin let out a mocking snort.

"Of course, you don't. You've been busy with your perfect little job and your perfect little boyfriend and you're perfect little life together." He jerked a thumb to the bedroom door. "And who is that? His daughter? You playin' 'House' while the guys and I are going crazy, wondering where the hell you are and what the hell you're doing?"

"Puar is not Yamcha's daughter, she is his cat!"

Lupin blinked, not believing what Fujiko had said. A smug smile crept upon his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. Fujiko's eye twitched in annoyance; she knew he thought she was going crazy but didn't say anything. Instead, he changed the subject.

"So, did you get the radar?"

"No, I didn't."

"Of course not." Lupin rolled his eyes. "Where is it? I'll get it myself."

"You can't do that. Capsule Corp. is a multi-million dollar company, they have a state-of-the-art security system."

"Ooh, I love a challenge." Lupin giggled before stealing a kiss from Fujiko and hopping onto the windowsill. "You know you can't rid of me that easily, Fujiko."

Fujiko narrowed her eyes at him as his trickster smile just widened.

"You should really keep your windows and doors locked, y'know. People break into people's apartments all the time." Lupin winked devilishly and jumped out the window, climbing up to the roof.

After an excruciatingly long moment, when she was sure he was gone, Fujiko ran to the window and slammed it shut, locking it. Then she drew the curtains, darkening the room. She let out a groan of frustration and stomped her foot.

****

Yamcha rubbed the back of his neck as he sat hunched over his office desk, doing some paperwork. He was exhausted and just wanted to go home and it seemed that whenever he looked up, the stack of papers that he was supposed to fill out kept growing. He groaned, dropping his pen on his desk and rubbing his face with his hands.

"This is a shitty job." He muttered to himself.

"If that's the way you feel, you can quit anytime."

Yamcha yelped, jumping when he heard Bulma's voice behind him. He swiveled around in his chair to get a better look at her.

"I waste my precious time, getting you this job and you just want to quit?" She leaned against the side of the entryway of Yamcha's cubicle, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I never said I wanted to quit," He chuckled, running a hand through his hair nervously. "It's just that it's really boring, sitting here and filling out paperwork all day."

"And you'd rather be fixing cars?"

"What're you doing here, Bulma?" Yamcha asked, changing the subject. He was actually quite curious as to why she was there; there was no way that she was there just to check up on him.

"I just got out of a meeting with your boss and several other companies." She shrugged. "I was on my way to pick Fujiko up."

"Oh, going out for lunch?"

"No, Yamcha, I'm stealing your woman away from you. I'm leaving Vegeta and Fujiko and I are going to run off and get married." Bulma laughed at Yamcha's shocked expression. "I'm just kidding, Yamcha, jeez! Chill out!"

"Oh, okay." Yamcha laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Well, have fun at lunch!"

Bulma stayed there for a moment longer then sighed, shaking her head. She chuckled then said with fake aggravation.

"Get back to work, slacker!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Yamcha shot back in mock fear as she walked away.

****

Fujiko wrapped up a large bottle of perfume in lavender tissue paper then gently place it in a pale pink bag. Smiling, she handed the bag over to the woman on the other side of the counter.

"Here you go, have a good day."

The woman thanked her and walked away. Fujiko kept the smile on her face until she couldn't see the woman anymore. She sighed exasperatedly then turned to her friend, another perfume counter girl, Tiffany.

"That stuff smelled like garbage." She said in a low voice. "Nobody has any taste here."

"Sorry we don't all wear Chanel No.5, Fujiko." The young woman joked, flipping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder.

"It doesn't have to be Chanel," Fujiko protested, waving her arms a bit in a gesture. "Just something that isn't cheap. Would it truly kill someone to splurge a little and buy something classy and expensive?"

"Another customer's purchase bothering you, Fuji-dear?" Bulma asked, leaning on the counter.

"Yes," Fujiko laughed, turning to her blue-haired friend. "Some women just don't have taste for expensive perfume like we do."

Fujiko's smile faded when she saw the deliveryman walk into the store, carrying a vase of a dozen red roses. She felt a chill run down her spine as the deliveryman walked straight towards the perfume counter. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Fujiko?" Bulma asked, sounding worried as she put a hand on her friend's forehead. "Are you okay? You look really pale all of a sudden."

"Excuse me," The deliveryman said cheerfully as he approached the counter. "Do you know where I could find a Fujiko Mine?"

Fujiko gulped; her fear confirmed. She knew immediately who sent her the roses.

"That's me," She said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"These beautiful things are for you." He said, resting the vase on the counter. He handed a clipboard out to Fujiko. "Could you sign for this, please?"

"Oh, they're so beautiful!" Tiffany gasped, walking around Fujiko to get a better look at the roses. She smiled, smelling them. "God, they smell wonderful."

"Who are they from?" Bulma asked the deliveryman. "Does my friend have a secret admirer?"

"I don't know, ma'am." The young man smiled. "I'm not allowed to say who they're from."

Fujiko's hand shook as she struggled to put down her signature at the bottom of the paper. After what felt like an eternity, she finally got her name down and handed the clipboard back to the man. He smiled at the three women, told them to have a good day, and left the store.

"Ooh, Fujiko, I'm so jealous!" Tiffany gushed, running a French manicured finger over a petal of a rose.

"There's a card!" Bulma plucked the card from its stand in the middle of the bouquet and thrust it to Fujiko. "Here, read it!"

Fujiko cautiously opened the card and read it to herself under her breath.

"_I would be nothing without you. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love and adore you with all my heart._"

Bulma snatched the card from Fujiko; slightly annoyed that Fujiko hadn't thought to read it out loud. Bulma read the note aloud then passed it to Tiffany.

"What a sweetheart!" Bulma exclaimed. "Yamcha sure knows how to treat a lady. Right, Fujiko?"

Fujiko seemed to be in a trance. She had heard what Bulma had said but she felt as if she couldn't speak. She wanted to say that they weren't from Yamcha; she knew they weren't. They were from Lupin. The card hadn't been signed; if they had been sent from Yamcha, he would have signed his name, Lupin would have left it blank just to mess with her.

"Fujiko?" Bulma snapped her fingers in Fujiko's face. "Fujiko!"

"Huh?" Fujiko blinked, snapping out of it.

"You okay? You're starting to worry me."

Fujiko looked from Bulma to Tiffany. She faked a smile, laughing nervously.

"That's just your maternal instincts kicking in, Bulma. Here," Fujiko picked up the vase and handed it to Bulma. "I'm just gonna go grab my purse and we'll leave."

"Okay, I'll go put these in the car."

"Thanks." Fujiko muttered as Bulma left.

"Are you okay?" Tiffany asked, following after Fujiko. "You really don't look so good."

"I'm fine, I just . . ." Fujiko grabbed her purse from under the counter. "I just feel a little sick."

Tiffany gasped, her hands covering her mouth. The young woman's eyes widened and sparkled. She removed her hands to reveal a wide smile.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" She whispered.

"No, of course not." Fujiko said, sounding appalled as she pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder. "That's not even funny, Tiffany."

Before Tiffany could apologize, Fujiko stomped off and out of the store. She felt sick to her stomach, knowing that Lupin knew all of her whereabouts. How sick and twisted he was; sending her a dozen red roses at her work. The sick feeling disappeared and was quickly replaced with aggravation.

She yanked the car door open and slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind her harder than necessary. Bulma gave Fujiko a look then started the car and sped off.

"Say 'hello' to Fujiko, honey." Bulma said, looking over her shoulder to the backseat.

"Hello, Fujiko." Trunks said from the backseat, an etch-a-sketch in his hands. He sounded uninterested with the adults in the front.

"Hello, Trunks." Fujiko replied, trying hard to hide her annoyance but failing.

Bulma glanced at Fujiko, a quizzical look on her face. Fujiko sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair, resting her elbow against the door.

"You okay, Fuji?"

"I'm okay, I'm just not feeling good."

"You're not . . ." Bulma trailed off, giving Fujiko a concerned look. "Are you?"

"No!" She snapped. "I'm not. Can you please just take me home?"

****

Lupin watched Fujiko from the window of the coffee shop across from the department store she worked. He lifted the chipped mug of coffee to his lips, taking a sip. The look of complete irritation on her face as she got into the car with the blue-haired woman puzzled him and sparked his curiosity. He pondered what could have made her look that way.

"_Maybe, I'll just drop by her place later today._" He thought.

He downed the rest of his hot coffee and set the mug down before getting up. Tugging on his jacket, he threw a couple dollars onto the table as a tip and left the café.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket, he strolled leisurely down the sidewalk.

Lost in thought, Lupin wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Inside, Lupin fumed with jealousy at the thought of his beloved Fujiko with that mystery man Yamcha. He couldn't understand how he, the master thief Lupin the third, literally threw precious and priceless gems, jewels, ancient artifacts from all over the world, millions of dollars and himself at Fujiko and she still disregarded him while this Yamcha guy, who could never in a million years ever afford to get _anything_ Fujiko desired, was basically the man of her dreams. He hoped that one day very soon that Fujiko would see the light and forget all about Yamcha and get back on track to finding the Dragonballs.

Lupin hated Yamcha with a passion and he had never even seen the guy's face; he had only ever seen the back of the guy's head as he was leaving the apartment he and Fujiko shared with their talking cat.

Lupin stopped for a moment to gaze up at the sky with a confused look on his face. That was one thing that he didn't understand; cats didn't talk . . . did they? No, of course not. That Puar person had to be Yamcha's daughter or something.

"_But if Puar really was his daughter, why would Fujiko lie and tell me she's his cat?_" He thought as he resumed walking.

Lupin absently mindedly turned a corner and bumped right into someone. He stumbled back, falling back onto the concrete.

"Whoa, I'm so sorry, man!" The man said frantically apologetic, reaching out a hand to Lupin to help him up. "I didn't see you there. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right. I also wasn't looking where I was going." Lupin answered, grabbing the man's hand.

The man yanked Lupin up from the sidewalk with more strength than necessary, almost making the poor French thief fly.

"Sorry again, man." The man chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know my own strength sometimes. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Lupin looked the man up and down, thinking that something about him was strangely familiar. He extended a hand out to the man. "I'm Lupin."

"I'm Yamcha." Yamcha smiled, shaking Lupin's hand.

Lupin's eyebrow arched slightly as it finally clicked in his head. How many people in the world, much less the city they were in, had that name? It wasn't a popular name or even a good one, in Lupin's mind. He thought this had to be the face of the mystery man who had stolen Lupin's woman away from him. Yes, _this _was Yamcha – Fujiko's Yamcha! Lupin hoped that Yamcha hadn't seen the devilish gleam in his eye as he shook his hand.

"It's _very_ nice to meet you, Yamcha." Lupin smirked, looking Yamcha up and down again, taking in everything about him. "Let me buy you a drink!"

"Oh, no. No, thanks. It's a little early for that."

"Really?" Lupin took out his pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his jacket. He gestured towards Yamcha. "Smoke?"

Yamcha shook his head, making a slightly disgusted face.

"No, thanks." He repeated. "I don't smoke."

"It's a bad habit," Lupin put a cigarette to his lips and lit it, taking a long drag then blowing the smoke out away from Yamcha. "A very bad habit."

"My girlfriend smokes."

"Really?" Lupin's trickster smirk widened into a grin. "So does mine! She uses this Tiffany cigarette holder."

"Whoa!" Yamcha exclaimed. "Small world! So does mine!"

"C'mon, Yamcha!" Lupin clapped a hand on his new "friend's" shoulder. "Let me buy you a drink. I insist."

"Well . . ." Yamcha trailed off, looking down at his watch. "I actually have to go somewhere."

"Oh? Going out with your girlfriend?" Lupin asked, an almost tauntingly.

"No, I have to stop by the jewelry store." Yamcha said, oblivious to the tone in Lupin's voice, the joke made at his own expense.

Lupin faltered and his eyes narrowed into tiny furious little slits. He dug his nails into Yamcha's shoulder.

"What?" He almost growled.

What business did _this_ guy have in a jewelry store? Lupin tried to convince himself that maybe Yamcha was just going to get that gold-plated wannabe Rolex on his wrist fixed. Or going shopping for his mother or his cat-daughter, Puar. Anyone but Fujiko. That was something Lupin would just not allow Yamcha to do.

"Ow, man, you're kinda hurting me."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lupin let go of Yamcha and flashed him an evil grin. "I insist on buying you a drink. You seem like a cool guy. You'll have time to go jewelry shopping later."

"Well . . ." Yamcha repeated; everyone knew how easily he succumbed to peer pressure. "All right, just one."

****

Fujiko dumped the roses in a dumpster behind the apartment building as soon as Bulma had dropped her off. She made sure that her blue haired best friend was out of sight before disappearing behind the building. She held her nose as she opened the blue dumpster and tossed the roses in, reluctantly picking up heavy garbage bags and hiding the roses underneath them. Quickly she made her way into the building and up the winding stairs to the fifth floor, not bothering with the elevator.

She could still smell the awful putrid stench of the dumpster as she fiddled with her key, trying to unlock the door to her apartment. She finally got the door open to see a flash of blue zipping towards her from the kitchen.

"Welcome home, Fujiko!" Puar chirped. "How was work?"

"Good, sweetheart. I'll be right back, I have to take a shower."

She gave the cat an uneasy smile before disappearing into the bedroom.

After a long shower, when she was sure she had scrubbed away that sick garbage smell from her body, Fujiko changed into an old pair of Yamcha's gray sweatpants and one of his baggy shirts then stepped out into the living room. She could still smell that garbage smell! It was emanating around the apartment, stinking the place up. She must have been making a face because Puar appeared in front of her, looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" She squeaked out. "You look sick!"

Fujiko blinked then smiled at Puar.

"Help me clean this place up, sweetheart."

****

It had started out with one drink. One drink. But then Yamcha's new "friend" had coaxed him into taking a few shots. Then those few shots turned into a couple more shots then almost everything blurred together. The two had parted ways around eleven; Lupin walking off in a random direction, leaving Yamcha alone to fend for himself. Knowing he was too drunk to drive home, Yamcha pocketed his capsule car then took the sky, flying home. He smiled to himself as the cold night air hit his face, brushing his hair back. He had gotten halfway home when he finally realized that he hadn't stopped by the jewelry store. He mentally beat himself up for a while until he got to his apartment door. After trying for a couple minutes to keep his hand sturdy so he could unlock the door, he just gave up and knocked – or, at least, what he _thought_ was knocking.

Fujiko answered the door, looking frightened. Her fright turned to confusion then irritation.

"What're you doing, pounding on the door like that?" She hissed, pulling him into the apartment. "You made me think that there was something serious going on!"

"My bad." He mumbled, flopping down onto the couch. "Why does everything look different?"

"Because Puar and I spent the whole day, cleaning and rearranging the living room." Fujiko put a hand on her hip, closing the door with her free hand. "Thanks for noticing."

"You're welcome." Yamcha gasped, remembering something. He sat up and looked around the apartment, looking for the vase of roses. "Where . . .?"

"What're you looking for?"

"Didn't you . . .?" He pointed at Fujiko then looked at Puar. "Did she bring home . . .?"

"Look at you!" Fujiko exclaimed. "You're so drunk you can't even form complete sentences! Is there a reason you're drunk?"

"I met this really cool French guy today," Yamcha slurred, laying back down and rolling onto his side. He pulled a couch pillow to his chest. "I think he might have been gay, I think he was trying to hit on me or something. His name was . . . Lupin! Yeah, that's it! Lupin!"

The room grew eerily silent. Yamcha opened one eye and looked at Fujiko.

"Fuji-baby, are you okay?"

Fujiko was silent for a moment longer, her chest heaving slightly.

"I'm going to bed." She said quickly. "Lock the door and windows before you go to sleep."

Before Yamcha could say anything, Fujiko vanished into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

****

The next morning when Yamcha woke up, Fujiko had already left for work. His head was pounding. He sluggishly got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He snapped on the light, quickly regretting it as soon as he did. He groaned and turned the light back off. Using the sparse light from the sun shining though his bedroom window, he rummaged around the medicine cabinet, looking for some Tylenol. He popped a couple of the pills into his mouth and dry swallowed them, making a face. He left his room, yawning as he entered the kitchen, being followed by Puar.

"When did Fujiko leave?" He asked, searching the fridge.

"About an hour ago, Bulma picked her up." Puar cocked her head to the side, ears twitching. "Are you okay?"

"A little hung over, but other than that, I'm okay." He kicked the refrigerator door closed with a foot. "I can't believe she didn't get the roses yesterday! That's so weird. Did they call and say anything to you?"

"Nope, just the confirmation call the day before."

"Man," Yamcha shook his head. "Now, what am I supposed to do all day?"

"Well, you could do some laundry, do the dishes _or_ you could go out to the jewelry store and get that –"

"Oh, right!"

Shoveling the rest of the small amount of breakfast his stomach would allow him to eat into his mouth, Yamcha went back to the bedroom to get ready for his busy days.

****

Fujiko took a long slow drag of her cigarette, halfheartedly blowing smoke rings when she exhaled. She and Bulma were sunbathing on lounge chairs in the backyard of Capsule Corp. Her skin was darkening slightly, giving her a nice glow. But her new tan was far from her mind at the moment; her thoughts were strictly on Lupin.

Lupin was going too far and she knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to get under her skin and make her crack. Lupin always was one for mind fucks. She knew he thought that if he scared her by hanging around then she would get back on task and get those Dragonballs.

"Men are so stupid sometimes." She thought aloud, tapping the ash of her cigarette into the glass ashtray that rested on a white plastic stool in between the lounge chairs.

"Tell me about it." Bulma smirked. "Hey, hand me a cigarette, would you?"

Fujiko handed the pack of cigarettes to Bulma as the blue-haired woman sat up, an arm covering over her bare chest. Bulma reached out for the pack with her other hand and plucked a cigarette out with her lips. Setting the pack down on the stool, she grabbed the lighter and lit it. She took a drag, a dreamily little smile slowly tugging at her lips.

"I haven't had one in forever," She complained as she put the cigarette to rest in the ashtray then reclined back in her lounge chair. "I think Vegeta's starting to suspect that I still smoke, he's been popping up at all my secret smoking spots."

"Don't worry, I'll take the blame." Fujiko muttered, lying back down on her chair to resume her sunbath.

"Woman! I smell cigarettes!" Vegeta bellowed as he appeared in the backyard, arms crossed over his chest and scowling as usual.

"Vegeta!" Bulma screamed as she and Fujiko jumped and scrambled to cover themselves up. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I smell cigarettes!" Vegeta repeated through a snarl, eyeing Bulma accusingly.

Bulma lifted her sunglasses up to glare at her husband.

"Fujiko is the only one smoking, Vegeta! It's not me! And do you mind? We could use a little privacy!"

"I don't understand why you're so ashamed of your husband to see you like that, woman, but you don't care if you put on a show for the neighbors!" Vegeta barked.

"Oh, hush! I'm not ashamed! And I'm not putting on a show! Now, get out of here!" She snapped, gesturing a 'go away' motion with her hand.

"You're impossible!"

"_I'm_ impossible?" Bulma scoffed as Vegeta walked into the big yellow building. "Well, _you_ married me so what does that say about _you_?"

Bulma sighed deeply, lowering her sunglasses and lying back down.

"God, I love that man!"

"You two sure have a funny way of saying I love you." Fujiko joked.

"I know, right?" Bulma chuckled. "That's just something you and Yamcha get to look forward to."

The comment caught Fujiko off guard. Her and Yamcha? Marriage? No way. The last thing she wanted to think about was that – especially with Lupin popping up everywhere like an incurable wart. If he had even thought that Fujiko and Yamcha might tie the knot, he would explode and possibly do something crazy.

"Of course, not all couple show their love like Veggie and I do." Bulma shrugged a shoulder. "You two could turn out to be like Goku and ChiChi or Eighteen and Krillin."

"I don't want to talk about this, Bulma." Fujiko muttered, rolling onto her stomach.

"What's wrong you with you lately?" Bulma asked, propping herself up with her hands. "You've been acting so weird ever since you got those roses yesterday, which were beautiful by the way."

"I just don't feel good." Fujiko mumbled, moving her head to the side.

"Are you sure you're not pregnant?" Bulma asked in a hushed voice, leaning closer to Fujiko.

"Oh, stop it, Bulma!" Fujiko sat up and took a fresh cigarette from the pack. "I wouldn't be smoking if I was, would I?"

Fujiko struggled with the lighter, her hands shaking as she tried to light her cigarette.

"And the last thing I really need to think about right now is marriage and babies and all that junk!" She let out a frustrated little scream. "God damn, this stupid lighter won't work!"

"Fujiko, Fujiko, settle down! It's just a crappy little lighter, no need to get upset!"

Fujiko growled and turned, throwing the lighter towards the big yellow building behind them almost hitting Yamcha in the head as he walked through the backdoor.

"Whoa, hey! I'm sorry, I should have said something!" Yamcha chuckled as he approached the sunbathing women.

He stopped when he noticed that they were half naked. His face turned bright red in embarrassment and he turned his face away, tittering.

"Hey, Bulma! Long time, no see!" His voice cracked as he avoided looking at his ex girlfriend.

"Come off it, Yamcha, don't act like you've never seen them before." Bulma said huffily, sitting up and adjusting her bikini top, tying it behind her neck before turning to Fujiko. "Need help, honey?"

"Sure." Fujiko shrugged and let Bulma tie the back of her bikini top, eyes locked on Yamcha. "What're you doing here?"

"First, is it safe to look?" Yamcha asked, shielding his eyes with a hand.

"Yes, we're decent." Bulma rolled her eyes. "And don't go bragging to everyone that you saw my hooters."

"And risk a chance of Vegeta hearing? Ha, no way, I'd like to keep my life." He dropped his hand away from his eyes and turned his attention back to Fujiko. "Well, I went to pick you up from work and they told me that you had already left. I thought you were probably with Bulma so I thought I'd check here."

"Good guess." Bulma joked, getting up and wrapping a sarong around her waist. "So, what're you two doing tonight?" She asked Yamcha, arching an eyebrow.

Yamcha had confided in Bulma about everything; at first he hadn't want to because he knew how big of a mouth that Bulma had but she had persuade him into telling her, promising that she would never tell anyone. She had even helped him out, pulling some strings to get that reservation and a good table for him at the restaurant.

"Oh, nothing." Yamcha shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought that maybe we'd go out to dinner, just the two of us."

"Aw, how cute." Bulma winked. "Have fun, you two."

"I don't really feel like going out tonight, Yamcha." Fujiko said, gathering up her things. "I don't feel very good."

"It couldn't be because you and Bulma spent the rest of the day out in the sun, chain smoking?" He asked, eyeing the full ashtray.

He didn't mean to sound condescending; he just hated cigarettes, he hated the smell, the smoke, the way he could taste it when he kissed her.

Fujiko gave Yamcha look and opened her mouth to retort when Bulma interrupted.

"They're mine." Bulma lied, glancing from Fujiko then back to Yamcha. "I started again."

"Oh, don't let Vegeta know." Yamcha warned jokingly, reaching for Fujiko's hand. "Are you really sure you don't wanna go out tonight?"

"C'mon, Fujiko!" Bulma coaxed, flashing Fujiko a smile. "It'll be fun and it might make you feel better."

"Fine," Fujiko sighed. "I'll see you later, Bulma."

"Have fun, you two." Bulma repeated, flashing Yamcha a thumbs up when Fujiko's back was turned.

The drive back to the apartment was silent except for the low hum of the radio. Fujiko rested her elbow on the car door, a hand in her hair. Yamcha kept glancing at her, starting to worry.

"Are you okay?" He asked, quite concerned. "You're being really quiet."

"I just don't feel like talking." She shrugged. "Do we really have to go out tonight?"

"I would like to but if you're too ill then –"

"I'm not ill, I just don't feel like going out but if you want to, I will."

"Fujiko, I don't want to fight with you."

"I don't want to fight, either!" She snapped. She rubbed a hand against her other arm, her skin felt oily from the suntan lotion. "Ick, I need a shower. I need to get this stuff off of me."

As Yamcha parked the car in the apartment parking lot and turned the engine off, Fujiko yanked her door open with more energy than necessary and quickly made her way to the door, not even waiting for Yamcha.

By the time Yamcha got into their apartment, she was already in the bedroom, getting ready for her shower.

"What're you wearing to dinner?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom.

"I don't know," She said, turning the water on. "Just pick something, I don't care."

"Really?"

"Yes." She stopped and looked at him. She smiled up at him and stood on her toes to kiss him gently on the lips before pushing him out of the bathroom with a laugh. "Now, go!"


End file.
